Though the sail may tear, the Anchor holds.
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2003!
“Cheers to a new year and 'another chance to get it right.' ”
-Oprah Winfrey.
"For last years words belong to last years language,
and next years words await another voice. To make and end is to
make a beginning.” -T S Eliot's “Little Gidding. ”
“ New Years is our very own 'fresh page'... a time of hope and
excitement for what the Lord has for the year ahead. It can
be likened to a blank piece of paper awaiting the touch of our
pen... we can each choose our own prose and story...what a
wondrous opportunity." -Susan
On the east coast the month of January carries with it a wondrous 4 weeks of cold wintry temps, a few snow flurries, many a homemade soup, chili and beef stew night with blissful dreams of all the things that may occur within the 12 months ahead. This month also brings a million and one 'resolutions' to make changes (that usually never occur but it sure feels good to proclaim them as we imagine our waistlines thinner, our bodies more fit and that our garages and closets will shine with 'organization.') Our home in January turns into a 'wintry wonderland' theme. We exchange our Santa Claus's, gingerbread men, angels and glittering red and green ornaments for an abundance of snowmen, snowflakes, gold and silver balls, white silky ribbons, village homes with twinkling white lights, (their sidewalks glittering with golds and silver sparkles). This lasts until March when spring arrives and everything turns to lush green and bright colors. (Yes our home is always bedecked for every wondrous season.) 
Winters in Virginia are breath taking. After each snowfall the streets look as if they have been dusted with a glistening white fluff that always beckoned Graham, Kit and I to bundle up and come out and enjoy its splendor. Many people feel that winter on the east coast is dreary and barren. I on the other hand find it mysterious and intriguing with the tree's stark branches adorned with the ice and snow tightly nestled between each limb. I am captivated by the dark brooding skies, the wood filled chimneys releasing the fragrance of a wintry perfume where every now and then, a beam of sunshine pierces through the gloom, bringing with it a soft glowing and warm light! It is the time of year that we take out all of our extra thick, cozy warm sweaters that have been packed away in the cedar chests, layer up and head out to our daily endeavors...Oh how I love the smell of cedar!
Our company was now located in a brand new building and there was an excitement in the air that exclaimed; “YES! Yes change is possible.” It was a fresh season filled with new ideas, hopes and dreams! 2003 was untouched with a clean slate and the opportunity for second chance beginnings. Thank you Lord for the gift of HOPE.
The new office building brought with it many a blessing...We were now in the heart of downtown Washington DC which meant an entirely new set of eateries to choose from. Our favorite eatery? Cosi, where the chefs created a gourmet salad right in front of our eyes, made with the freshest ingredients and delicious combination's of turkey, charbroiled chicken and steak along with assorted cheeses and vegetables topped with homemade dressings. Nearby was the trendy Baja Fresh Grill where upon entering it's doors, we felt as if we were in Mexico with a fresh cuisine of grilled meats, garden cilantro, sautéed onions and the delicious aroma of newly baked tortillas. Our lunches were never boring! Another 
nice change was our new seating arrangements. Because we now shared our building with other companies, we no longer had separate offices. Our staff, (expect for the owner), were all nestled cozily into a group of cubicles. I could actually turn around and see Kit across the alcove wall and make faces at him whenever I wanted. (We would do that for our comedic relief!) It seemed as if we were all more connected and it was a welcomed change. We also were blessed with two kitchens, the one upstairs gracing us with a latte and cappuccino machine! (Our company was going gourmet!) Another comfort of home was an agreeable, contemporary gym to work out at whenever we desired located in the basement of our building. ( Though I have to admit that Kit and I exercised more making our lattes and cappuccinos than we did on the treadmill.)
Behold how good and how pleasant is is for brethren to dwell together in unity! (2) It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments. (3) It is like the dew of Hermon descending upon the mountains of Zion, for there the Lord commanded the blessing – Life forevermore. PS 133
Ah the wonder of going to Symphony Hall and listening to a concert preformed by the Boston City Pops with their fabulous orchestra or a renowned vocalist such as the Italian tenor Andrea Bocilli or the phenomenal Josh Grobin. The harmony and melodic charm fills ones soul with such joy, peace and rapture.
Have you ever attended a concert or a church service where suddenly, one of the trumpeters blows their horn to hard, a member of the choir sings out in the wrong key or a refined violinist strings are out of tune on their delicate instrument ? At first when we hear things out of tune, we all experience a level of grace as we are hoping that it was just a faux pas but if it continues throughout the concert, things begin to change. At first, perhaps it would be a little comical but at a certain point, it would just 'down right hurt your ears' and you would begin praying for divine intervention, squirm in your seat and set your mind on something else, (like what your going to fix for dinner the next night), or as a last result, exit the room as quietly as possible.
I use this analogy as After 18 months of hoping, believing and praying that our company would come into a true unity , the kind that David speaks about in Psalms 133, and never seeing it happen, Kits and my 'ears were hurting pretty bad.'
We had so hoped, prayed and held fast to the belief that we could, as a group of God's children truly be united. That in Jesus we could be of one mind, body and spirit and that this awesome company God had called into being, could indeed be blessed and fruitful as we believed the Lord intended.
Not to say that there were not times of what I call mini-breakthroughs. God was with us each day and was working. There were times of laughter, sharing, wondrous revelations from God accompanied by His blessings but as a company and corporate group over all, still dwelling within our midst were what I would call 'spiritual death traps.' Kit and I were flabbergasted at the times where abusive words were spoken by the owner not only to us but to our fellow co-workers. (Perhaps not intentional and knowingly but nonetheless they were very deleterious and destructive, not only on a personal level but to the unity we believed God wanted to create within our midst .) There were times Kit and I felt there was a spirit of judgment, criticism and confusion within our group, thus birthing feelings of fear, inadequacy and certainly a lack of trust and the desire to be vulnerable. The truth for us was that we never knew what to expect on a daily basis as some days there was hope, edification and breakthrough, yet on other days we felt shot down, degraded, disconnected and that our job assignments were ambiguous. I never understood why as a body of believers, we could not have addressed what was going on in our group, gone before the Lord united as one and ask Him to make us fully what He wanted us to be. I am still baffled by it all to this day. How can a body of believers experience the awesome blessing in PS 133 with these obtrusion's in their midst? I do not believe they can...Not only were Kit and I frustrated but our hearts were deeply grieved.
It was announced to the group that the owner was leaving for a season of respite as well as a time of seeking God. She would be going to her home abroad and return to Washington DC when the Lord showed her to come back. In the months that she was gone, our two bosses Scott and Thomas took over our DC office and things seemed a bit lighter and laid back. There were some great worship times, sharing, personal breakthroughs, revelations from the Lord and again, sparks of hope. (For awhile anyways until the next whammy came.)
With things already in a bit of a quandary, our company began running out of financial provision. This season at work was in one word, “bizarre.” I had never experienced anything like it in my life. (None of us had, I am sure.) Being that we were a Christian, faith - based company, we were asked to trust God for the monies, and to do our work in faith. During this time we witnessed numerous Fridays where no one went home with their paycheck and it was quite a challenge to do my job as the bookkeeper. How do you create weekly reports when there is no money in the account? We had a new accountant upstairs that I was now reporting to with my position as they had replaced my CPA consort and dear friend Jonathon (who kept me sane) with a gentleman from Virginia. Every time I left his office, I was doing the 'head shaking' thing again... it was preposterous... it was if we were all 'playing a game'. When things got to the place where our staff could no longer wait for their checks, our CEO would call the owner and she would make a deposit into the bank account so we could all get paid. Just the frustration of having to wait for a meeting to see which bills I could pay weekly was beyond stressful. I learned during this time that I was to just go to work, do the best I could and leave the rest up to God. Again, we longed for a time where our entire staff could join together to talk and pray about WHY this was going on, to hear God and receive His peace as a group and see what He would say to us. It did not happen. I believe everyone had their own thoughts as to the 'WHYS' of our disquieting situation, thus each persons moxie had to come from the Lord alone.
Now on a much more positive note...I love this quote and it is so very true of our two years in DC with the news co.
“Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints upon our hearts and we are never, ever the same!” God gave Kit and I many a footprint upon our hearts from very special people in our DC office.
First there was Clarissa. She loved the Lord and was the kind of lady who brought a smile, warm fuzzies and an abundance of laughter to our work place. She also brought us many a deep and anointed word form the Lord in a much needed time. She was an in depth thinker, funny, a storyteller and a breathe of fresh air as her sweet bubbly spirit touched us all. Melanie was another breath of fresh air. She loved the Lord, had a passion to write, create and brought a lightheartedness to our staff like no one else. William was the funny pastor who sat next to me and as the moths went by, Kit and I developed a very special bond with him and he became a comfort in many of our stormy days. Scott and Thomas were our bosses but also friends. Scott often joined Kit and I at our home for a pizza and movie night on Fridays as his family resided on the west coast. Thomas and his wife were two of the most loving and refined Christian people Kit and I had ever met. Thomas was a Godsend and got us through many a hurdle with His kind heart, love for Jesus and what I call the 'Midas touch.' Other ladies who blessed us all were Julie, Babs and Natalie who often flew in for a time of refreshing but she was the one who refreshed us! Then there was comedic Derrick. He was what you would call a 'unique'. He was one who would fly in from out of state and stay for periods of time to do his work in DC. He came for dinner a few times at our home and one night brought his family for a delicious pasta dinner. He always made Kit and I laugh and ask; “Are you for real? Seriously, did that really happen Derrick?" (As his stories were always on the edge, exciting and show stoppers. ) Kit and I were also greatly blessed by the many prophets that came in to DC, especially one very special man from Africa and another from the US with his assistant who always made us laugh. These men had stories about God that would 'wow' anyone beyond comprehension...I could have sat and listened for hours on end. Thank you God for those times as I will remember your glory from their life stories forever. Kit and I were inspired beyond words.
Ahh! ! The glorious and amazing season of Spring arrived. 
Our cold wintry days were now sunny, warmer with cool breezes and the earth was springing forth a beauty in Alexandria and DC that was breathtaking. Everyday as we drove to work, our eyes beheld a magnificent feast of God's glory. Our cozy sweaters and suede coast were packed away again in our cedar chests. Once again we were wearing our bright colored ensembles which felt like a new wardrobe after months of bitter cold temperatures. Our trips home across the Arland D. Williams Memorial Bridge in the evenings were gorgeous as it now stayed light outside much longer. ( Thus giving us the cobwebbed appearance (illusion) that it was much earlier than it truly was, only to be surprised that by the time we arrived home, we only had about two hours before we would be off to slumber-land.(Yes Kit and I are early-to-bed, early- to- rise people.)
With this resplendent season of rebirth, God gave Kit and I a much needed gift. My younger brother Patrick and his partner Chris came all the way from California to spend their vacation with us. We excitedly met them at the Ronald Regan airport as they arrived on an evening flight. 
We all stayed up reminiscing as long as our 'lead-footed' eyelids allowed, taking in every single story and precious memory of years gone by, laughing so hard at times that our jaws ached! It was wonderful to have family there with us in Washington DC, being that at times kit and I both were so homesick. Our 'not so little anymore' Grantham was nearing his first birthday and had more energy than all of us 40 + adults put together. He gallivanted all through out our home chasing Patrick, as he had fallen in love with his loving and kind spirit. He was very 'put out' when we left him behind as we'd go and tour the city. I can't leave out our third visitor that arrived for one of the most pleasurable evenings of Pat and Chris's stay, (Patrick's and my cherished childhood friend Neill from PA.) The 5 of us (even though I was outnumbered with 4 guys, oops, Graham made it 5) spent the evening eating splendid cuisine, enjoying fine wine, decadent desserts and experienced almost every single emotion possible within those cherished hours. It was one of those nights where you wish time would stand still... After we said our goodbyes to Neill, our activities consisted of frequent visits to coffee pubs for yummy pastries and cappuccinos, long chats while walking down quaint Virginia streets and some enthralling movie nights. We became trendy tourists as we sauntered around the Mall in DC going to museums, monuments and exploring all the treasures of the awesome city. We lunched at Le Madeline's on Kings Street with the charming Potomac River right down the street. As we sat enjoying our delicious lunch in an atmosphere likened to a French Bistro, right down the street there were seagulls and terns squawking joyously as they landed and perched upon the rugged docks as local fisherman made their catch for their evening meal. Two entirely different worlds entwined on the same street. We then ventured on a nostalgic journey nearby Mt Vernon where our childhood home still stood in a quaint and cozy suburban area. It is so funny to see what I recalled as being “THE BIG HILL” by our home only being a tiny incline in the street. 
Oh how different things look when we are children. We were graced by a gourmet dinner at the fabulous Evening Star in Del Rey with hours of sharing, laughing and a never ending bounty of scrumptious cuisine. (I had to stop myself several times that evening from 'singing the blues' as our cherished days together were coming to an end. ) I wished so much I could take all of the precious moments that we had shared, place them within a magical bottle, close it up and when needed, I could take it out and enjoy each memory once again. After our (very hard) goodbyes, they left us with a wondrous gift. What God gave us through their visit was our sanity back...we could look at our life in DC with new glasses... the glasses of the Lord, and all of His promises, as well as the perspective of two people who knew us well and loved us dearly. Yes, everything would be OK...God would work it all out for good.
One morning while in worship in our sun splashed living room, listening to the soothing music of Ruth Fazil, the Lord began speaking to me. With my pen in hand His words were flowing onto my paper. He directed me to scriptures that were much like the ones He had spoken the year before as Kit and I sat in the charming wooden pews in the lovely church on Capital Hill. He shared a few passages in the bible where He had called His servants to certain tasks. Somewhere along the way, other things not intended by God entered in and it altered His original plan. He then brought correction in His awesome love but , it was not heeded, thus, He brought forth an ending. In one of these scenarios it spoke about a land that was abundantly blessed with fruit. When God's correction was not heeded, the land became barren with only a stump of the remnant remaining. God would leave this stump as one day, when His work was done, He would breathe life back into this place, REVIVING it and it would bear the fruit in abundance that He intended it to. Again I asked the Lord who these scriptures were for? Always I check to see if He is talking to Kit and I. He assured me they were indeed for the company and that He wanted me to share a particular passage with the staff when I went back to work the next day. Talk about stomach aches....I must have asked the Lord 3 times;
" Lord is this really you?”
“ Lord, are you sure you want ME to share these at work tomorrow?”
"Lord, can you give me a little more confirmation?”
His answers? Yes, Yes and YES. As He confirmed, I had to obey... I was able to sleep but awoke with that same aghast feeling in my stomach. I had God's peace, just a challenge with the emotion of anxiety as I pondered the “what ifs.” (You think by then I would have learned to STOP PRESUMING.) Kit supported me 100%... we prayed while driving into the city and before long, we were all together worshiping in Thomas' office knowing sooner, (hopefully later), I would share what God had spoken.
At the end of the worship time I shared my heart, perhaps not as eloquently as many but I did manage to get all of the words out. I made sure that everyone knew that what I shared was what I believed God was showing me and telling me to do... I was acting in faith and obedience and not in anyway making a judgment or assessment from my own thoughts.
(No worst fears occurred)... I was not asked to leave, rebuked or stoned, (Just kidding.) I felt a release as I had obeyed the Lord...Most of the staff did not say much, but our leader quickly shared that he felt it was indeed probably from God but not for our company or the owner of the company. I did what the Lord said and that was all I was asked to do...it was up to God to do whatever He wanted now. I was thrilled that morning was over and was happy that I had used extra deodorant and anti-perspirant that day ... (I felt as if I had lost a pound in perspiration.!) WHEW!
"Summertime and the livin is easy, fish are jumpin and the cotton is high,
Your daddy's rich and your mamma's good lookin, So hush little baby don't you cry."
Being a southerner at heart, I love this song by George Gershwin and I adore the summer season. I remember this one special summer as a little girl. We were visiting family in the Carolina's. I was sitting on the front porch with my aunt. (Now you must understand that in the south, front porches are one of most popular 'rooms' in the entire house.) She was patiently teaching me how to 'snap' the fresh green beans to get them ready for boiling. (There is nothing quite like fresh green beans from the garden.) What I loved and remember most was the way that her neighbors would stop by and chat. It didn't matter what they spoke about, whether the renowned ghost story of the legend of Gimghoul, (2 love struck students from Chapel Hill), or the story of Mr Wigglesmith's toupee falling off when he fell asleep while Preacher Foxworth was shouting his "hallelujahs and praise the Lords " in the Baptist church. I just loved the warmth and camaraderie of all the amiable people sauntering around the town on Sunday afternoon, dropping by to say hello as we sipped our ice cold lemonade in the sweltering humidity. During our two year stay
in the Virginia and DC area, Kit and I enjoyed to the utter most all of the summer's animated thunderstorms. There is absolutely nothing like an east coast summer rain storm with all of its brilliant, incandescent lightening, suspenseful booming thunder along with the magical fireflies that captivated our hearts from the moment they first appeared in the lush green foliage beside our home . We used to love to venture up to the alluring and inveigle beaches of the Virginia Shore. Not only was the drive captivating and dreamy as we traversed through all the small towns on the back country roads but there was nothing like sitting out on the quaint patio of the towns most popular, rustic seafood eatery. As we sat at our table, we were captivated by our fabulous view of a variety of eccentric boats tied up at the dock (bobbing up and down), with the tumultuous dark gray waves of the ocean in the distance. We were entertained by the laughing sounds of gulls and seabirds accompanied by the cool breeze off the water with the enthralling aroma of saltwater, fish, and our savory shrimp pasta, lobster with melted butter and French fries as they arrived just in time to our table.
One balmy and calm summer evening I took our boisterous Grantham to the Doggy park right down the street from our home in Alexandria. It was an absolutely gorgeous evening, the kind of summer night that you remember vividly forever. There were a good number of tail wagging-energetic dogs ready to greet and play with Graham as I unleashed him and let him run like the wind amongst his new found friends. All of us, 'the doggy parents, ' stood and admired our 
'babies' as they played, ran up the steep banks of the park and often times got into mischief. As I was standing there alone, smiling at Graham and his big heart as he tried to slobber- kiss all the dogs, I heard as clear as day the Lord speak the words; “Jupiter ad Mars...” HMMM? OK Lord...What was that about? He didn't say but I knew it was Him. After trying to figure it all out, (like I always do), I let it go and knew the Lord would show me what it all meant in His time.
It was just a matter of days when I heard on the news, a report of what scientists were predicting for the summer of 2003. Mars would be making its closest approach in 60,000 years, all during the time of a new moon with Jupiter moving to Virgo and other planetary shifts. Now to be honest with you, ( the astronomer I am not) I know that God did not tell me that fact ahead of time to give me knowledge of the celestial atmosphere or an important upcoming event in our history. He was speaking this to reiterate and confirm to me that yes indeed, I did hear His voice and I needed that affirmation as He was getting ready to tell me something of major importance! (I don't know about you but at times, especially when I get caught up in the emotional side of situations , I tend to doubt that still small voice I hear so clearly is in fact the Lords voice. (John 10:27... My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me.) He was just reminding me; “Yes Susan, you do hear me and I can share my heart with you at any given time...especially when you least expect it."
Sure enough the day the Lord was priming me for arrived. As I was in worship in our Alexandria home, the Lord began to speak what would forever change our days. Thank you Jesus, that this time You only had me share this message with Kit. The Lord spoke to me so clearly and it was all I could do to keep up with writing it down as His words came so acutely and detailed. I listened intently and wrote with total peace and no fear whatsoever. I was composing on paper the words He was sharing and was quite taken aback at all He spoke, not allowing my emotions to interfere.
The most important part of His message for Kit and I at this time was that Change was coming! He showed me that soon He was going to bring our time at the news company to an end. He warned me that in the course of the day where this would happen, there would be unkind words spoken to hurt us but that our ears would never hear them ... It was as if the Lord showed me in the spirit that the words would be caught by Him in the spirit and never reach our ears. (That was a comfort to me as who likes to hear ahead of time that you are going to be spoken to that way...especially publicly.) He spoke that there would be those who would rise up against us, but not to worry for He would be there to protect us. He revealed that we had pleased His heart and had been obedient at every turn and He was going to bless us and not to be afraid as this was all part of His plan that we were to be leaving. He ended it with saying; “two more paychecks."
Wow!!! I could not wait for Kit to get home so I could share with him what God had spoken. He was in awe over it all and we both wondered what God meant by “Two more paychecks???” We prayed together , enjoyed a comfort meal, and felt a mixture of elation, joy and wonder, knowing that God had shown us our time of serving there was almost over and we would be freed.
It was strange to return to our office once again after hearing the Lord speak all of this to us! He never did tell us when it would all come about. We had thought that perhaps the 'two more paychecks' was His declaration of the time we would be leaving, so perhaps we had a full month left until the big day happened.
As the summer weeks continued, we looked forward with excitement to the arrival of the autumn season. There would be the annual display of brilliant colors, leaves rustling in the air accompanied by soothing cool breezes and the aromas of stews, soups and freshly baked breads filling our kitchen and home once again. Our circumstances at our workplace were still a bit chaotic. There was still a shortage of funds making it stressful to pay bills as well as pay our employees. I still struggled as I prepared the financial reports and made my requests to the owner of the company for all the funds we needed to make payroll and pay all the overdue bills. I worked on filing, prayed and attended worship, but I felt my position was no longer prudent. Even creating all the reports with no funds available seemed frivolous. I kept on doing what I was asked, knowing God had already said our time of leaving this company was at hand. Kit kept working diligently on the companies website. Working on Websites is his gift from God as well as his passion. His work was unto the Lord...He persevered and stayed consistent as God led him. Then... on September 16th... almost precisely the same date we had been hired 2 years earlier, it all happened....Exactly as the Lord had said to a 'T.'
It was a Friday, a beautiful summer afternoon hinting of what the weekend would be like, the last warm weather before our autumn season would arrive. Word had gotten to the owner that there was some discontented comments made amongst some of the staff. She decided to call an impromptu meeting to 'clear the air.' Only a few people were invited to this get together upstairs, Kit being one of them. I was asked to 'man the phones' and take messages . I had no idea of what was going on in that board room. I trusted God with whatever was happening. I was busy looking forward to Kits and my weekend together. We planned on going to dinner at Hops Bar and Grill for a California burger, hot fresh fries, and a glass of Merlot, then renting a suspenseful movie at Blockbuster and enjoying a Sunday
afternoon at Barnes and Nobles with our Starbucks Caramel Machiatto, listening to Cd's, browsing through our magazines and books with our beloved Grahammy by our side. (Yes, believe it or not, in Alexandria they allowed dogs in the book store.) He loved to go with us and it was great to have our family all together during our hours of repose.
As I finished up my work for the day, the phone rang. It was the owner of the company. She asked me how much money was in our account sounding very up, energetic, upbeat and amiable. Shortly after we hung up, Kit walked in and looking perplexed said ; “Wow, that was really unexpected. Lets get our things together and head home and I'll tell you all about it as we drive."
As we headed home Kit began to share with me what had transpired . He said that the owner of the company had called only a few people to a meeting and point blank asked them some questions about how they felt the company was doing. When no one really spoke, she singled out Kit specifically as she had heard a comment he had made to a fellow co-worker. Before Kit knew it, he began sharing his heart with her and the staff. He surprised himself as he spoke, for it was not like Kit to share something so intimate but he felt the Lord put it in his heart to do so. He revealed that how just days before, the Lord had given him a vision as he had cried out to God with his feelings about what was happening amongst our staff and the network overall. The Lord apprised Kit that He did indeed understand how he was feeling and gave him a vision. The vision was Jesus as He was walking through the crowds with the crown of thorns upon his head. He was reviled, spit upon, called names as He bore the cross upon his shoulders. As Kit saw this vision, the Lord showed Him that the very emotions that he was feeling, were a lot like how Jesus felt on that tumultuous, dark day. In our company Kit was doing his best to serve God and be obedient, yet he felt criticism from the owner, blame and a lack of respect with very little edification, support or appreciation from her. Immediately upon his sharing, the owner became very defensive. She reminded Kit of all the things she had done for him and took what he had shared very personal. A few people spoke up at this time. One saying to the owner: “Are you listening to what Kits heart is sharing? Can you hear His heart?" Another spoke and said: “Lets all take a break and calm down.” She then began speaking abusively to Kit, saying hurtful things, so much so that another staff member spoke up and said that it was out of line what was being said to Kit ...The end result of all this was that she abruptly left the room, very upset and walked away from the meeting not to return.
With that being said, I knew that Kit just did what was in his heart and said the words he felt led to speak. She asked him point blank and he answered her in truth. He did not speak in fear, there was no pretense and he spoke from his heart.
We had a delightful weekend as already there was a magical touch of fall in the air. Yes, it was warm and the sure sign it was still summer was abreast as the fire flies were still lighting up our yard and street with their brilliant soft glow and enchanting sparkle.
The end of our much needed weekend with its marvelous repose had arrived. It was Sunday evening about 6:00 PM. Kit and I were sitting in his office talking with our chilled glasses of Chardonnay in hand when our phone rang. It was Thomas. He had not been in the meeting on Friday but it was evident he had met with the owner either in person or by phone over the weekend or Friday evening. Kit put him on speaker phone and he spoke the words that would change everything as we knew it;
“Susan and Kit...we have been praying and seeking God over the weekend and it has been decided that the two of you are no longer to be a part of our family here in DC. We feel the Lord is saying your time here is over. We would like you to come in for one more day and bring your computers, files and work up to date for someone else to take over. Upon your leaving, we would like to give you each a check totaling the amount of two more paychecks."
With the hard blow of his words, (though he was very loving and polite as the man he is) we felt a lot of mixed emotions. A little bit of awe as God had already forewarned us, a tad bit of rejection as we felt outcast from 'the family' as he put it...But... God's peace came flowing in like a river when I heard him speak “Two more paychecks " as after all, that was what God had spoken and that had to be our focus.
Needless to say, our Sunday evening was not quite our normal end of the weekend night. We had a light dinner, talked to some dear friends, prayed, perhaps even got a little teary eyed, (me not Kit), and did a lot of talking to each other. We had a wonderful phone chat with one of our co-workers who was in the room during the meeting. It was not until she spoke about how much it bothered her how the owner spoke to Kit, bringing up such hurtful things, that it hit me, it was all exactly as God said it would be, because you see, Kit never heard a word of her abusive remarks during the meeting. (Just as God had said.).I was blessed as I remembered He had given me the sense that He would catch the words in the air before they arrived to Kits ear gates... The other question I had was why “WE” were not together when this occurred. The Lord settled that immediately by showing me that WE WERE as we are one flesh and what happened to Kit, happened to us. ( It did not matter if I was physically in the room or not.) Everything matched up with the word the Lord had given us...Oh the peace that brought us in the midst of this capacious happening.
Our last day was not hard like I thought it would be. Kit and I were uncertain of how the overall staff felt about us leaving as we were not sure who all was involved in the final decision. We were touched as many of our coworkers were so loving, caring and kind. Many an admirable word was spoken to us and we embraced and said our goodbyes. I will always remember that bittersweet day. For 2 years we served there and made some wonderful friends. (I remembered our first day as if it were just the day before...so much excitement, joy and awe of being part of such a glorious cause and calling.) We fell in love with the big city of Washington DC, we loved our co-workers and had so many great memories along side all the difficult and trying times. Filled with a quiet assurance and soothing peace, we headed to our jeep in the parking lot for the very last time, drove to our favorite restaurant in Alexandria and celebrated the dawning of a new time in our lives. Surely. one door had closed...one we had prayed would close for a long time but now that it was over, we had relief as well as a bit of sadness at the loss of what we had so hoped would one day be within the News Co. during our stay. We thanked God for all that He taught us in those two years, both the good and bad as they all were used to teach us, change us and make us into God's promise that we will all be conformed into the image of Jesus. He gave Kit and I many a tool to take to our future calling to host the Kings Tavern one day as we had learned an abundance of 'people skills', obedience and perseverance. The Lord also shared that He had brought us to DC for 'connections' with His people while serving there. That brought us a hope that perhaps one day, when He brings His retreat Home, we will see some of these wonderful people again in our lives. Even though we were no longer a part of this group, forever the staff and the desire in God's heart for this company would continue to be in our hearts and prayers.
It was mid September....there we were in our snug Alexandria town home. The Lord had brought us from the deserts of AZ to the lush green state of Virginia, just as He had said He would...He gave us jobs amongst a prestigious Christian News company and provided for us to stay in our cherished city and home of 2 years. 
Our time at our jobs were now over... all by his hand. We looked forward to at least a week of many moments, even hours of pure, quiet repose, enjoying the first touches of the upcoming fall season and then would begin seeking the Lord as to what He had for us next.
With excitement in our hearts and a new found freedom , we were content and looking forward to our next adventure with Jesus Another New Beginning!
