Miracles do happen and I have proof

After crying my eyes out every night (and day) for the past two and a half months a miracle happened. About twenty minutes ago I received a phone call that I had been longing for. I received a job. I had been nervous that I would have to live off of or depend on others for my basic needs but that is no longer the case. Just yesterday (literally 30 1/2 hours ago) I went to a job fair for the company 'Five Below'. The job fair lasts until tomorrow. I was interviewed by the best woman in the world. She is in her late thirties and is very funny. She commended me for being the only person to bring a cover letter with their resume. She then asked me two questions.

1. "Why do you want to work for my company"? To which I replied: "I must admit I did not know anything about your company when I heard about the job fair; however, after researching your company and looking at the website I feel that this will be a fun environment not only for your teen age customers but also for me as an employee- the layout of the store will be (since it does not open until July 17th) fun for me to be involved in helping to create. Also, I enjoy helping young people in any way that I can, I have worked with children since I was 11 years old as a nanny and I feel that I will fit right in.”

2. "Since you do not have any retail experience how do you think that you will fit in a company that is fast paced and in need of capable employees"? I said: "While I do not have retail experience I have excellent customer service and administrative skills. Again I worked as a nanny for close to 7 years and I occasionally received requests for babysitting every summer since and I have maintained close relationships both with the children but also with the parents...."

She then told me that by Wednesday she will call everyone who received the job and she went on to advise me not to look for any more job opportunities!

Today, again 30 1/2 hours later, she called me to let me know that I had the job!

While I am grateful that I have a job now, this would not have happened had I not listened and received help from others. David, Supervisor at the Resource Center, has helped me since January when I contacted him to tell him that I had to come back home in February to have surgery and I needed help finding a job after I got off bed-rest. He offered me a partnership/paid internship at the office, which gave me tremendous knowledge of Microsoft Office and other software that helped land this job. He also proved amazing at helping me to get the skills and courage to go out there and search/ seek a job. He called to check-up on me numerous times and also gave me advice on the job hunt. Mike and Hallie have been here for me more than anyone else. They have helped me also to get the courage to go out there in this scary world. When doors closed they promised me that windows would open and to not give up. Mike even lovingly pushed me to really go and put my face out there. If it was not for that I do not think that I would have been able to go to the job fair (after all there were tons of doors slammed). Hallie told me: "You are going to get the job." Mike, Hallie, David, and countless others helped me to improve my interview skills. James and Sean provided extra help and comfort; Sean even called a friend of his to give my resume personally to them in order for me to get some sort of job. Linda, a career specialist at Macomb Community College, gave me the lead about ‘Five Below’.

Of course none of this would have been possible without Heavenly Father. He provided this miracle. He prompted me to call the Resource Center in January to tell them that I was coming back home. He prompted me to move out of my parent’s home and into Mike and Hallie's and everyday they pushed me a little more to keep at it and not give up. He prompted me to go to the college's Career Services when I got out of class early which helped me to find out about the Job Fair. He definitely prompted me to go... I had just received five rejection emails the day before.

Yes miracles do happen. Heavenly Father really does know me personally. Often times I wonder if He really is there, if He sincerely cares about me... and then things like this happens. He may not show me in a big way, like getting a job, but He does let me know He's listening. I find it quite humorous to see how many times we, as humans, ask why me or please show me that you care when things go wrong but then just like that we forget (read about Laman and Lemuel in the Book of Mormon) him and do things our way. Of course I do that often but then, like this, He continuously gives me His answer: "Diamond, I never left"! or "I'm right here"! or "Why can't you just be patient... there is obviously a job that I think is better for you"! or my personal favorite that I think he says just to me: "Get off my nerves and just let other people help, that is what they are for"! I recently found the later to be true. The previous people mentioned are only a hand full of people who have helped me along the way (hence "TEAM DIAMOND"). He has brought so many wonderful people to help me. I am new to this whole "having faith" thing but boy it is real and it works.

Nothing to blog about...

However, since it is Father's Day I thought that I would post the main points of the Religion paper that I did in Sociology (I received an A). I thought it fitting since it is about marriage.

“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (Genesis 2:24 King James Version). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2010) noted that in 2009 there were 2,077,000 marriages in the United States. However, in this world the lines of marriage and family have become blurred. Many people are opting out of the traditional family roles and instead are making new and sometimes costly ones. The media has turned love into lust. More people are becoming single parents or choosing to abort their family. The world is slowly losing out on the most important thing: family.

Many people are attacking the family roles. The mother is no longer being seen as gentle, and some mothers work outside of the home; the father is not always the sole provider, and some fathers choose not to help in rearing their children. Extended families are sometimes the ones rearing the children of parents who are avoiding taking direct responsibility themselves. Gordon B. Hinckley, former President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1995) said, “HUSBAND AND WIFE have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. . . . Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children.” In 2009, Maria Shriver (2011) reported, “Women now make up 48% of the US workforce and ‘mothers are breadwinners or co-breadwinners in a majority of families.’”

Latter-day Saints believe that marriage is extremely important; however, the media says the opposite. Gordon B. Hinckley, former president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1995) stated: “Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children”. In the LDS religion the temples are the most important. The most important thing that is done is being sealed for time and eternity to your family. Although, the “Mormon” religion believes that marriage is important, many people are finding out the world simply does not agree. For instance, Bleakley, Hennessey, and Fishbein (2011) found that 50 percent of teenagers actively search for sexual content using the mass media. Many television shows depict women and men in sexual manners.

The world would lead people to believe that getting married to start a family (or getting married at all) is useless. Many people point out negative things about getting married, such as the cost, divorce, adultery, and so on. They question getting married when people can have sex without the official title. Sue Christensen and Ann Rosen (1996) found that the American pop culture glorifies sex. Music videos and television shows show women being lusted after. Many unwed people are fast becoming parents; people are having sex at a younger age and, as a consequence, are having children before they are twenty years old. “In 2002, 12% of all pregnancies, or 757,000, occurred among adolescents aged 15-19” (as cited in Ventura SJ, Abma JC, Mosher WD, Henshaw SK, 2006). The CDC also stated, “In 2009, 46% of high school students had ever had sexual intercourse” (Health Topics, 2010). Many people are opting not to wait to have sex, and as a result the idea of "marriage" has become lost.

To conclude, the family is important to the Latter-day Saints religion; however, if the world continues to put importance on others things such as having sex before marriage, they will risk losing the morality that we once had. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes that the family is essential to their salvation; however, the negative way that the family is depicted in the world will have a negative impact on the family. The youth should learn more about the consequence of their actions; only parents can teach them that. Love is clearly different from what the world shows it to be. People should not look to celebrities or the mass media to define love or family. Mothers, fathers, children, and extended family roles are important and should not be belittled or thrown away. The Latter-day Saint religion needs to stand firm in their view of the family and help put an end to the attack of the family roles. If we fail to do so, the children (next generation) will grow up without the beliefs needed to raise their family.

The End of Sociology

Today was my last classroom discussions day in Introduction to Sociology (although I have to go tomorrow to get my grade). It was a wonderful three weeks being in that class. I learned a lot about how important and the impact that sociology has in the world. My teacher Dr. Bonner was a interesting person. The students got away with a lot; although, I managed to learn more and do exactly what he asked. I did 3 presentations and papers: The LDS family versus the world; Choose Celibacy Instead of Moral Sin; and The Story of the Acadians. I also did 3 current events: Osama Bin Laden's Death; Naomi Campbell and Cadbury Chocolate; and A father's involvement in his son's life (Utah father embarrasses son). I enjoyed that the class was a discussion-centered classroom. I had not really had that before, we only read out of the book once.

Most importantly I was able to incorporate my religious beliefs into the classroom discussions. Although I was picked on by some of the students, I was able to stand firm in my beliefs- just as missionaries do (wink, wink). I was even able to give a Book of Mormon to 2 individuals (my teacher and a student studying to be a preacher). I have another Book of Mormon to give to a student tomorrow. I have learned just how much my religion has shaped who I have become. This is very remarkable. Just 3 years ago if you asked me about cohabitation, premarital sex, etc, I would not have a problem with it. Now I see the harm that it does and I was able to give that insight (and much more) to the students and teacher.

Yep, Sociology was an eye opener. Now I hope Introduction to Chemistry will be as well. I just bought my books for the class online! It really will happen. Wish me luck!