Congratulations, Mom!

I wondered if the day would ever actually come. And I think she was beginning to think the same thing. My mom quit her job at The Salvation Army. She is moving on to much bigger and better things, to the detriment of the rest of the family. I've posted here and here about how I've benefited from my mom being a Sally's "insider".

Gone are the days when I get the phone call from my mom when just what I've been looking for shows up in a box of donations. Gone are the days when mom stops by in the afternoon with a few "like new" posh boutique-style dresses for the girls that she paid a buck or two for at work. Gone are the Christmases where with every awesome item we pull out of our stocking we ask, "Mom, don't tell me you found this at Sally's?" and she nods with a smile. It was fun while it lasted. My mom didn't work at Sally's for the paycheck. She was in it for the treasures. (It's in my genes, you see?)

But I am so proud of her. She waited until her 50s to start a career she is truly passionate about. She spent the last three decades focused on her family, staying home to raise us kids, cook home made meals, and keep a clean house. For a long time she sacrificed "nice things" like owning a home, new cars and pretty much buying herself anything new so that we could have a private Christian education. It wasn't until the last one of us flew the cuckoo's nest that she finally went back to school to pursue her dream career in medical coding. She graduated from her program and became a certified medical coder in 2009. Little did she know just how bad the job market was.

For the last year and a half she has been actively searching for a job in a field where no one wants to hire someone without experience. It's been a long hard road full of frustration and disappointment. She's been tempted to just give up on her dream many times. But she hasn't. Application after application. Cover letter after cover letter. Phone call after phone call. She has persisted. And finally, in God's perfect timing, she's landed her first coding job. I pray that she finds it rewarding. I know that God will use her gifts and talents to improve her workplace and that she will be a light to her new coworkers.

There's a scripture that comes to mind when I think about my mother's work ethic. "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." Colossians 3:23

CONGRATULATIONS MOM!