Gifts, talents, and experience

Dear Life,

Thank you for giving us so much experience...good, bad or ugly....experience is so important.  Now to be able to use that experience to benefit others...to help others...that is how the world should work right?

Let me start by saying that I truly believe that God gives us all gifts and talents...and it is up to us to realize them and help them grow and multiply.

As a mom I have really struggled wanting to help my children "discover" their gifts or talents and try to point them in the right direction.  Of course that is a catch 22, because children don't EVER want to do what their parents think is right.  So I've learned after stubborn child number one to change my approach.  I now just suggest gently...point in different directions....and let them make their own choices.  Ultimately I just want them to know that I think they are special...and so does God!

Now I think I've figured out how to help my kids....I'm trying to figure out how to help myself.  My family lives in California...and I have been a stay at home mom for a long time.  There are seven of us, and it's not getting any cheaper to live here.  But it's rather impossible to get a full time job out of the home for two reasons: I want to be there for my kids and my youngest has Spina Bifida and has medical needs that I provide.  (Not to mention if  he ever is hospitalized for any length of time....having a full time job would make it very difficult to be with him)

Ok...look at that face.....how hard is it to leave him....SOOOOO HARD!!!!  So that got me thinking.   A LOT!

What on earth can I do from home that will allow me to make money to help my husband help our family.  I looked at some different things, checked out a few articles on Forbes about which careers are fast rising and the most stable.

No I didn't get a degree when I should have long long ago (Note to self....make sure my kids know and understand the value of that college degree) and honestly I'm not sure if I have the time to get one right now.  As I read different articles, some thing started being a common subject...the health care industry.  Because people are living longer, the need for health care professionals is even greater.  But there are new careers that are coming out of this and one of them caught my eye.

PATIENT ADVOCACY


I happen to have personal knowledge in this area...because there have been times I have needed such a person and there was no one.  There have also been times people have advocated for us.  This really got me thinking.  I searched the internet long and hard...what do you have to know to do this?? Well...turns out this is so new there isn't a common practice..there are no certificates or degrees in this.  Suggested courses and degrees but nothing in stone.  So I put this out there on my support group on Facebook.  (Gotta love Facebook)  One of my friends told me about a career she is looking into...that has a direct link to how she has to care for her son and his medical needs.  So it's not like she or I have a GIFT.....but we have been given circumstances.  It's up to us to learn the most and share our knowledge and in return we can help not only our families financially but other families dealing with similar situations.

So life....thank you for experiences...and talents....and gifts...hopefully I can put this all together and create something wonderful!

From...A Mom of Boys!!!!