Happy To Report......

After 7 weeks of looking for work Bill got a job! We are thrilled! He is thrilled.

He is going to work for a company called Infusionsoft. His position title is "Account Manager."

We are so grateful for those who reached out to us with kind words, prayers, and leads for work. We truly feel blessed and humbled from this whole experience. Life is interesting, and it doesn't always go the way you were planning but that is not always a bad thing. We are amazed at the way things played out, and wouldn't have asked for it to go any other way. My word for the week has been "perspective." Going through this experience has given Bill and I perspective on what is important. Bottom line is, we are excited and grateful!

Experiences

It has been a while since my last post. I would like to say we have been busy this summer with fun vacations, fun outings etc. etc. This summer has actually been a summer that I did not plan on. You could say that the story of the Graves family life has taken a little twist and turn. On June 30th 2011 Bill lost his job. It came as a little bit of a surprise, and took a few days if not a week to get over the shock. We are going into our 5th week of unemployment and we are hopeful that something is just around the bend. This last Sunday I had a thought about the whole situation, I decided that instead of calling what we are going through, "a trial", I was going to call it an "experience" or an "education." When you are gaining an education, doing homework, studying for tests etc. it is hard work, at times it is even frustrating. But when you have completed the work, finished the test and gained a reward, or a good grade for your hard work, you feel accomplished. The knowledge, understanding, and work ethic you have gained is invaluable. I can tell you right now that we feel the knowledge and understanding we have gained thus far has been invaluable. We are amazed at the blessings and answers to prayers we have received through this experience.

On June 5th I gave a lesson in church called " Our Stories... Our Full Potential.. Our Divine Nature." This was a subject I had to come up with on my own. As I prepared, I kept telling my self that I didn't want to prepare this lesson, because I felt like I was being prepared for something to come. So I fought it a little bit. I thought maybe I should change the topic but I kept going back to the same topic. As I look back at this lesson that I prepared and taught, I am so grateful for the inspiration I had on picking this subject. I know it was a tender mercy from my Heavenly Father preparing me and giving me understanding before this experience came to pass. I would like to share a few quotes from my lesson, the first 2 are from Paul V. Johnson of the Seventy given in the last general conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

"Sometimes we want to have growth without challenges and to develop strength without any struggle. But growth cannot come by taking the easy way. We clearly understand that an athlete who resists rigorous training will never become a world-class athlete. We must be careful that we don’t resent the very things that help us put on the divine nature."

"We don’t seek out tests, trials, and tribulations. Our personal journey through life will provide just the right amount for our needs. Many trials are just a natural part of our mortal existence, but they play such an important role in our progress."

-Elder Orson F. Whitney said: “No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. … All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable. … It is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire.” 5

I am so grateful to all of you who have shown your kindness and love during this time. We are so grateful to have such wonderful friends and family.

We are also open to suggestions and thoughts on places that Bill would be a good fit for work.

Thanks for taking the time to read!

Hayley