By NYE, Mike and I were still in a fog about what to do. He had applied some places but gotten no response. One company had even called him and said they were moving his application to the HR desk but it never made it any further than that. I wouldn't say we were discouraged but I would say reality had sunk in. Every time Mike would start the long drawn out process of filling out an application, it never felt right. At the time I couldn't put my finger on it because of course I knew Mike needed a job. This will sound juvenile but every time we filled out an application I felt yucky about it. It's as simple as that, just plain yucky! I knew we were about to embark on a long winter that would be filled with ups and downs. When Mike first lost his job, my friend, Mary said to me (and I quote), "Hang on, Amy, you guys are in for a wild ride." I remember at the time thinking, Umm, I wonder what that's all about? Now, nearly four months later, I get it. Our "wild ride" didn't get revved up until after NYE but we were well on our way.
Many of you saw my blog post from New Year's Eve (2015). My dear friend, Mary and her husband, John, came with Mary's family. About a week before NYE, Mary asked if her sister in law, Shannon, could join us for our celebration. I love Shannon and any friend or family member of Mary's is always welcome. That evening I sat with Shannon during dinner and she shared some of her testimony with me. I always love hearing other people's stories but Shannon's was particularly engaging. She has endured traumatic events in her life and come out of them stronger and closer to God. She toured our house that night and was blown away by Mike's talents and abilities; his eye for fine craftsmanship and attention to detail. I will never forget being in Jay's room that night with Jay, Mike, me and Shannon. As we were showing Shannon Jay's log bed that Mike built him, Shannon stopped what we were doing and boldly prayed with the three of us. She prayed that God would use Mike's talents for His glory and would help guide Mike and I. It was powerful. That was the first time it occurred to me that maybe, just maybe, Mike needed to do what everyone had been telling him for years, to start his own business. Mike Ausili''s opinion was very blunt (as only a true and long lasting friend can be). He told Mike that he should direct all of his hard work and skills into his own business, why let someone else reap the benefits of Mike Siebert? Still, Mike and I weren't quite ready to take that leap of faith. After all, we had Jay and Nick to consider. If the business failed, where would that leave us and how would it effect our boys? And what would Mike do if he ran his own business? Mike had said for years there is no money to be made in wood working. We had a million questions, none that were going to get answered any time soon but a seed was planted on NYE 2015. Shannon tells me now that God simply used her as a vessel. And what a vessel she was!
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