Small business blessings

I have a lot to write about today, but don't worry, I won't put it all into one blog.  Ha!  When we hit the one year mark of Mike's job loss I made a commitment to myself, my mom and our friends I would stop talking about it.  The "It" being the job loss, the start up a new business and the frustrations that go along with it.  I monopolized so many conversations over the past year.  There comes a time when you just have to put your big girl pants on and move forward.  And moving forward is exactly what we're all trying to do.  I don't know how the business will be doing in a year or two years from now.  We have put all our trust in God's plan.  So even though I promised I would stop talking and blogging about the business, it's a still a journey we're on and it's a pretty significant time in our life.  With that being said, there are still many obstacles that lay in front of us and I have no idea if we'll ever reach a point when we stop pinching every penny but as with all things, there are blessings.  Mike is fairly quiet about his interactions with his customers (although it's evident he enjoys the interactions).  It's the feedback I get from his customers that is overwhelming.  The common theme I hear is Mike is so easy to talk to, he's so calm and full of knowledge and his skill level is top notch.  One other common theme is his eye for detail and design.  Mike will complete a simple handy man job for someone and often those simple jobs lead into bigger jobs because people immediately recognize Mike's talent.  Mike has always been easy to talk to and full of ideas but this was a man who worked by himself in a warehouse for 15 years.  He was often "too busy" to attend many of the department meetings.  There were only a handful of co-workers Mike associated with.  Although I see much of the same Mike, there are new parts of Mike that are so much sweeter and I know those new parts are from the glory of God.  Every wall that he built around himself crumbled.  He works and interacts with people almost daily now, and cares about those interactions.  Those interactions have been a blessing to him and for me to be a witness to.   So, even though many challenges remain (have I mentioned we need a bigger shop? UGH!!) and the road we are traveling on is quite foggy, God does provide us with rays of light that shine through that fog, reminding us that through the fog, the light does shine through.