Quiet

I'm going to be an empty nester soon, sorta.  All of my babes will be in school pretty much all day next year, homeschooling has ended for us....at least for now; so there's not really a reason for me to stay home anymore.  I also feel like it's time I contribute more financially to our family.  This is a total me thing, not a Neil thing.  He would be okay with whatever I decided to do.  I decided I really missed being part of a community in a work environment as well.  The places, where I taught school or served as an administrator, in the past are where I made some of my best friends in the world.  I miss that type of community.  So I applied for several jobs in the field of education, and guess what?  I got called in for a bunch of interviews....a bunch! It was kinda cool and kinda intimidating.  I lost out on one, never got called back for one and was offered a few....which meant I had to choose.  Through the whole process, I felt certain that God would lead me where I was suppose to end up.  Many of the interviewees asked me the same types of questions, and they all started with...."Tell us about yourself" and then went from there.  The question I always dread is the one where they ask you your weaknesses or areas that you need to improve upon.  I don't dread it, because I think I don't have weaknesses or have areas of improvement.  I dread it, because I feel like this is could be a "make it or break it" answer.  The night before my first interview, I asked Neil if he asks prospective employees this question and what he thought the worst answer would be.  Then I prayed about it for a long time, and I heard God say....Just Be Honest, so I was.  My second interview, was the most challenging.  The questions seemed a little more in-depth, and I was a little more intimidated than in the others.  This was partly due to the fact that it was for a position in which I have never worked before....high school special education.  I was a kindergarten teacher forever....5 year olds and 16 year olds are very different!!  I have no "official" training or education in this area, but I have 19 years of life experience raising a special needs son.  One of the interviewees asked me that dreaded question....What do you think are some of your weaknesses?  And although I don't particularly feel like being a quiet person is a weakness, I know that many people do.  In fact, I was reprimanded in a previous job for being a quiet person, so that was one of my answers to this question in every interview.  However this was the only interview where the interviewee looked me directly in the eye and said, "I don't think being quiet is a weakness"; and then he smiled at me.  So needless to say, that's the job I accepted.  I'm so grateful for this new challenge, where I feel like I'll fit like a glove, and be able to offer so much of myself....being quiet and all.