Who'd have thought?

For some reason, this time of year has often been significant for me. It's when me and my whole family have their birthdays. It was this time of year when I moved to New Zealand, when I travelled overseas with a sports team for the first time. And it was this week two years ago that I left my first job in NZ having been made redundant...

Without doubt, that week 2 years ago was a turning point. If you had told me before I came to New Zealand that I would be on the other side of the world, without a job and therefore, that my visa would be in doubt, I probably would have never left home. Before it happened, I would have said it was one on the scariest things that could happen.

The reality of it was very different. I never would have predicted the incredible peace I felt. Maybe not for the first couple of days after I found out. Those days brought feelings of
     fear 
           rejection
                        sadness
                                   anger
                                            hurt
but it still amazes me how quickly those feelings gave way to the peace.

I'm not even sure I can describe it adequately. I just knew it was going to be ok. External circumstances did nothing to encourage me - physios all round me were losing jobs or having their contracts changed. It wasn't a happy time to be a physio in NZ, especially not an unemployed one. But, for the first time since I had arrived in the country, I just had this feeling that I was meant to be in Hamilton and a faith that if that was true, that a job would come up.

So, I got to work, sending out my CV, hoping to get maybe a few part time hours after a couple of weeks or months. I never would have thought that I wouldn't have one jobless day. I never would have thought that I'd be able to carry on working with my rugby team or that I would find a job that I could walk to. But that's what happened. That and so much more. Timing was perfect for me to get some temporary part time work to fill in until I could start a new job, that again, came up with perfect timing. New jobs, new opportunities, new learning, new friendships, new visa! It was more than I had hoped for.

Looking back on the last two years, since that change, I'm so incredibly, abundantly, amazingly thankful for what happened. The scary thing, the huge change, the complete loss of security, it brought me faith, confidence, hope. I never would have thought it could be the blessing it was...I'm glad someone knows better than me.