Now That's Odd

Hmmm.  I'm very confused.  I wrote a post Wednesday night about my big day that was yesterday, and it's gone.  Vanished.  Into the cyberworld of lost posts...  I published it even, and it's no longer there.  Honestly, I guess it's better that way because I was down.  I was a little bit scared about the adventure that was yesterday.  But now I can write from a different perspective.  A more positive one if you will.  

I was very nervous about my interview and training, but I had no reason to be.  (I think there were a bunch of underlying factors that caused this anxiety such as leaving the dog alone for 4-5 hours, driving somewhere I'd never been, and Steve's 48 hour shift at the station.)  Anyways, looking back I DEFINITELY had no reason to be worried or nervous.  

1. The office was really easy to get to

2. The staff was super friendly

3. The interview was informal, I was there mostly to fill out paperwork before the training

4. The training itself was only a little over 2 hours (I was told originally it'd be 3)

5. I'm excited about what I will get to do in this new job

6. I got to go to Hobby Lobby for scrapbooking supplies (since training got done early, I was able to go and not worry about leaving the dog any longer than necessary)

7. Sherman was fine when I got home

So I am now officially employed at Applied Behavior Analysts as a line therapist.  I just have to wait on a call from a senior therapist so I can start working with a child.  I'm excited, and a bit nervous.  I was talking to my mom about how this job is something I could see myself doing in the future, and progressing to a senior therapist maybe.  While I loved my previous job, I knew going in I wasn't going to be there forever.

This new job is more a career kind of job.  A more professional type of job, (not that my other job wasn't professional, it was, but I felt more like a babysitter than a teacher most days and that's not exactly why I got  a college degree) one where I can use my psychology degree and even advance in schooling.  I still don't know what I want to get my master's in.  I'll probably know more after a few months on the job whether special education and/or early childhood special education is the route I'll go or if I'll focus more on the counseling/clinical/therapy side of developmental disorders. 

Who knows, but this is what God has in store for me right now. And all I can say is "Praise God for this opportunity!"  I haven't had much experience with Autism spectrum disorders, but I clearly recall a time at camp a few summers ago when I had a few kids throughout the summer with some level of the disorder.  I thought, God, what are you trying to teach me?  What are you trying to show me?  At the time, I was thinking of my own future children, that maybe I'd have one with autism (don't ask me why, no idea!).  I also recall how a lot of my classmates in a psych class that next fall were doing their practicums with kids who had autism.  So it definitely was all around me.  

Now here I am 4 years later, and I will be getting a lot of experience.  Maybe the Lord was teaching me something else that year, or maybe I still will have a child with autism.  There are many things I don't know about this life, but I do know that He is bringing things together in my life that I never would have thought of.  He is in complete control, and for that I am so very grateful to be able to call him Abba, Father.  I am so thankful Jesus died on the cross so that I could live despite my sins.  Now I just need to lay my life down to show others Christ.  To love others, especially these precious children who I will meet in the next few weeks.

I don't think it's odd at all now that my post disappeared, or that autism surrounded me in 2007.  Call me crazy, but the Lord works in mysterious ways.  He always wants things to work for the best...and they certainly have!