This is essentially my 2011 Christmas newsletter to go in my Christmas cards - you lucky, lucky people!!
Looking back over the last couple of years I think it's fair to say that having lived a pretty settled life for over thirty years (gulp!) my more recent past has been anything but!
Since May 2009 I've moved from London to Leicester to take up a job that only lasted nine months then worked for a Christian mission agency for almost two years before being made redundant during one of the most severe economic downturns in living memory. My initial forays into job-hunting have suggested that I'll find it very difficult to find a new job that will genuinely use the skills and experience I've accumulated over the last ten years or so, and as a result I've had to give up my flat since it's likely that I will be unemployed for a while.
Happy Christmas everybody!!
However, at the moment I'm feeling remarkably positive about the whole situation, although I'm aware that could change significantly over the next few months.
The plan, such as there is, involves a rent-free move to a friend's vicarage for a few months, working in a local shop one day a week, doing a little piano teaching and working through some redundancy coaching. I will also be looking at some strategic volunteering opportunities and coming up with some projects to help me work out what I want to do more permanently. Oh, and I might even look for a job...
Realistically, I think 2012 will be another tough year, full of opportunities and challenges, choices and decisions. I suspect there will be no easy answers and no clear way forward. If you're a pray-er, I'd be really grateful if you'd pray for wisdom and discernment, and for the ability to communicate well with others (particularly my family).
Have a great Christmas and an extraordinary 2012!
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