Monday morning, I realized that I was truly unemployed. With no income coming in I started the task of job hunting. I was lucky and found a few temporary warehouse jobs working with a Temp Agency. Most of these jobs were in warehouse that worked in the printing.  I loved the working conditions  in each of the locations I worked and they reminded me of the warehouses I use to visit when I worked at Kroger. One of the first jobs was at a warehouse that printed and put together training manuals for the Federal Government. This job only lasted for a few weeks, but I did learn a lot about the printing business.

The second job only lasted a few weeks also, as it too was in the printing business. However, this one was different in that it printed the stand-up characters for in store merchandising displays like the race car drivers of football players next to drink displays. This was a very interesting job because I was always working on a different project. I stayed very busy and loved learning all the new skills. However, like the previous job they were really looking at this position as the probational period  stage for someone seeking full-time employment. After they realize that I was not looking for a permanent position I was let go so that they find someone else who could meet their future needs.

I worked a few more jobs, but as soon as the employer realized that I was only looking for short term employment the job request started drying up. I would get calls for job opportunities that only needed someone for a few days. One of the last one I took was helping a contractor build cabinets in the photo centers in a drug store. The two months of working at temporary jobs was exciting since I was about to learn and pickup new skill sets. However I need a job that could provide a steady income.

However, my luck changed when I was able to get a job at Home Depot. Since I had already started taking the classes I needed to get my teaching certificate this job was wonderful. They worked around my schedule and I was able to work twelve hour shifts on the weekend to get extra hours in and still have time for classwork school. Finally, a steady paycheck.

It was a tough year after I left Kroger, however looking back it was this change that put me on the path of a wonderful career. Sometimes we look back on events in our life and wonder if I could change the path, would I? The realization is that we cannot change the past, but we can look to God to lead us to a greater future. He did that for me.   The future career in education that I was about to embark  lead to the wonderful path that I have enjoyed for these past twenty-eight years.