The Long Road Home and the Journey that Made it Worthwhile

I haven't blogged in so long! It may take a minute or a few to get back into the swing of it. So much has transpired over the last year. It's crazy to think that this time last year I had moved to Huntsville and was opening a store. Now, I'm back in Birmingham and work for Chanel! It's been a long road but the journey was well worth it. I learned a lot and grew so much both emotionally and spiritually.

God is so amazing! I learned how to let go and just trust and have faith. Over the past year, I've experienced a peace like no other while at the same time experiencing hurdles and land mines for what seemed like every step of the way. I moved to Huntsville for a job but what I got was fired. That job opened the door to a whole new world for me. Financially, I was completely unstable and broke which I had never been before, physically, I had become run and beat down and I was emotionally exhausted by all the effort that I was giving and not receiving anything back in return. It did however lead me in the path of community service. I felt drawn to serve and found a new home and family at Manna House and my life will never be the same.

Manna House is an amazing organization that provides food, hygiene, clothing and other necessities to those in need. I began volunteering once a week and before I knew it, I was there almost every time the door was open. I looked forward to going and serving and I enjoyed volunteering more than being at work. There was just something so humbling about being there and being surrounded by people who had such amazing life stories and who had overcome so much, and people who were just trying to survive. It definitely put things into perspective and made me more grateful for things that I did have and not focus on the things that I didn't have but was used to having. It makes you realize that it could always be worse and that all that you have can be taken away just as easily as it was given to you.

After I got fired, I poured my all into Manna House. It was worth so much more than just getting a pay check. It's crazy to me that serving and giving of my time was so rewarding to me. I felt like I was the one  gaining from my time there because I felt so fulfilled. It helped to give me peace and it taught me to love in a different way. All of you who know me, know that I am a spoiled rotten brat who judges people on how pretty they are. Now, imagine me serving homeless people who live under bridges and walk everywhere they go, people who live in government funded homes, people who live with multiple families under one roof. And not only did I serve them, but I talked to them, I prayed with them and I came to love them.

Fran, the director of Manna House and someone who is so dear to my heart, one day said, "This is my Africa." Because her doors are open, thousands of people in the Huntsville area are fed weekly, families are provided with food that they otherwise would not have. She runs a PERKS program from the warehouse so that children get enough food in their backpacks to make it through the weekend. She is an incredible woman and a loving friend and I know that if I can be half the woman that she when I grow up, that I will have achieved more than I deserve. Fran also introduced me to some fantastic people which led me to some free lance work that I could do until my lease was up.

Now, I'm back in Birmingham and within a week of moving back, I already had a job. I work for Chanel cosmetics and love my boss (who is also my long time friend, Jared!) I feel so lucky to have been able to experience and be a part of something so extraordinary even if what led me there wasn't ideal. It all worked out for the good. God's plan is greater than my own (thank goodness!) Which leads me to my conclusion which is the whole reason I started blogging tonight and that is that everything happens for a reason and will bring you full circle into your destiny.