God is so good!

I am thankful for so many things, but today there is one thing that stands out above all. Anthony still has a job and it is still local. For those of you who don't know the whole story, back in May the place where Anthony works announced that it would be closing. Because of his status and his seniority, we didn't really worry too much because we figured that he would be placed in another facility somewhere in the local vicinity. Then the first list of available jobs came out and our life was turned upside down. The nearest opening was 120 miles away. This was back when gas was nearing $5 a gallon and they couldn't guarantee hours, so we started to panic. Relocating was never an option because we bought our house when the market was near its highest, so with the failing economy, we are upside down on our mortgage and selling isn't an option. We probably wouldn't be able to rent it for enough to even make our mortgage, so things started to look very grim. A few months back we had resigned ourselves to what we thought was the worst case scenario. Anthony accepted a job about 200 miles away and would be living with some friends, while the kids and I remained here. He would be working enough hours and getting paid enough that we would still be okay financially and we hoped he would be able to come home at least twice a month. The catch was he had to pass three exams in order to be placed. We thought he was home free and were dumbfounded when we were told that he failed the final exam. Thoughts of unemployment were nearing reality and we were really beginning to stress out. When almost all hope was lost, a job became available 7 miles from our house! The downside...he had to take those three exams again. I kept telling myself that God had a plan for us and that the first failed exam was necessary. If he had passed it the first time, he would have moved 200 miles away and when the closer job became available, he wouldn't have been eligible for it because he had already been placed. There was still that slight fear in my mind of what would happen if he failed again. No need to worry. As I stated in the title of this post...God is so good! We got the results today and Anthony officially has a job 7 miles away that pays more than he was making before and will most likely allow for more advancement. I'm so thankful and so happy. What I've learned from this whole situation is that God always has a plan even though it might not be the same plan you have. My faith has been strengthened. May it continue to grow everyday and my I always look to him for guidance.