Check it out! www.giantcod.net
Joe and I have are blessed to be able to own our own restaurant. I want to make that declaration to God right now. "I am sorry Lord, for my complaints. My inablity to REALLY see how blessed I am. I'm sorry for my ungratefulness"
You see, I often complain about having to work as a waitress.My friends have often heard me say, "I'm more than a waitress!! I want to do something great with my life!! I'm not meant to be here forever!" But this morning I am thinking about how blessed I truly am.
When I was a very new baby Christian, I was 24 years old. Joe and I were living in Pittsburgh, and I became pregnant with our first Child, Alexandra. I hated living in the city. I wanted to come home and be near my parents and my family. I prayed for God to find us a way to come back to New Wilmington.
During the time of my prayers. Joe lost his job. Now this was in the midst of my praying and building a relationship with God. I could have thought, "God what the heck are you doing?" But to be honest..I wasn't secure enough in my faith to think that God had anything to do with that..BUT now I know He was answering my prayers!
Since Joe had no job, and we were living in a strange city, my dad called us up and told us that he found a little restaurant in a little town right next to New Wilmington that was for sale. He thought it would be a good business for us.
Ha Ha! Isn't God AMAZING????? We had no money to buy a business. We had never owned our own business. Joe had worked at a Perkins restaurant while he was at Penn State, but that surely wasn't enough experience to be able to own your own restaurant!
BUT.. We prayed and trusted God and felt like it was what He wanted for our lives. So we moved back home. We moved in with my brother. (once again, if I would have only saw the small picture and not the big picture, I would have been complaining about having to live with my brother.) Joe formed a partnership with my oldest brother Mike, and together they opened the NESHANNOCK CREEK INN RESTAURANT. That was 17 years ago. Joe eventually bought Mike's share, and now we are the sole proprietors.
God's answer to my prayers. I got to stay at home and raise my girls. Joe and I made a comittment to close at 5:00 pm (every day but Friday), so that we could have family time.
Now that they are old enough they help out at the restaurant, so we make it a family time at work too! We are an extremely close knit family which is what I always dreamed and prayed about. We LOVE being together. My girls are 16 and 14 and they are both homebodies. Last night my 16 year old snuggled up in bed with Joe and I, and fell asleep with us. I am SO blessed.
So, this post is one where I am expressing my gratitude. It didn't start off that way. I just wanted to write about our new website. But God showed me a few things. I need to stop complaining and be more grateful. Also, when you ask God for something, He might not answer it in the way you are expecting. Joe lost his job. We had to move in with my brother. But years later, I can look at all that has happened and see that God was right there with me. It's all good : )
God Rocks! Have faith my friends. Keep your eyes on the prize!
With God's amazing and neverending love, Susan
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