Oh gosh, no. Not me. Sam.
He just turned 38 and is happily racing towards 40. (Something about older men being viewed as handsome and wiser…) Meanwhile, I am digging in my heels about aging and attack the occasional gray hair with a vengeance! But back to him.
His birthday was as it should be — celebrated with family around him and his three kiddos making homemade banners and all sorts of festive noise. I found Sebastian and Mia crammed in the laundry room at 6:30 AM on Sam’s birthday finishing a banner listing things they love about him. My personal favorites: He sweeps. He is crazy. He is crazy about donuts.
38 Things We Love About Daddy
Best of all, his birthday was shortly followed by a HUGE answer to our 4-year prayer. I’ll explain:
We moved to Charlotte, NC, in 2007 when Sam was hired by a big NYC-based law firm. We were thrilled for the chance for Sam to further his career, not to mention the nice paycheck that accompanied it.
Twelve months later, the economy tanked and two of the firm’s biggest clients completely went under. Sam and hundreds of other attorneys in Charlotte were laid off. We were in disbelief. We had two kids and two mortgages (our old house in Utah was still on the market). Not knowing how severe this market “downturn” would be, we assumed he could find another high paying position before our severance ran out. We were wrong. NO ONE was hiring. It was brutal. How could so many well-educated attorneys be out of work?
One of Sam’s colleagues who had a law degree and an MBA ended up working at Nirvana, a tea shop in the local mall. The tea shop manager was so intimidated by this attorney’s resume, that he made him sign a non-compete agreement, fearing that the overqualified attorney wanted the job simply to steal company secrets in order to start his own tea company.
We were clearly going to sink if we didn’t find work quickly. I was in a panic and praying for a miracle. Thankfully, Sam jumped right in and made the tough choice to start his own practice. This had always been our end goal, especially given Sam’s entrepreneurial nature – but we hadn’t planned on doing it this early and building it completely from scratch with no outside funding. It was madness, albeit necessary madness. I’ll admit I was incredibly scared and reluctant at first. I probably could have been more supportive. But what I lacked in initial support, I hopefully made up for in endurance.
We moved a desk into our bedroom upstairs and little by little, Sam was blessed with clients. I was amazed at how little it really took to start up his practice. On the other hand, I knew if any of his clients saw our small shop, they’d laugh. Sam met his clients in Starbucks and had me occasionally play secretary. Hopefully they never suspected that their white-glove-service lawyer wore sweats to work and boasted a 60 square-foot office. We somehow scraped together the money we needed for the next year and a half while constantly praying for a steady income, whether from Sam’s practice or otherwise. We relocated to Texas 2 years ago, where Sam shared an office space with a wonderful attorney. Things had certainly improved – he began landing bigger and bigger clients, although it was not enough for a long-term solution. Plus, he was commuting two hours a day.
Now, 49 months after Sam was laid off, we will again be enjoying steady income. Wahoooooooo!! Last week, he was suddenly offered a position with a local firm that is only 12 minutes away and is a great step for his career. He started at the new firm this morning and left the house with a new sense of purpose and lighter step (dressed smartly in a shirt and tie, I might add). I am so happy for him! Our many, many prayers have been answered.
Looking back at the last few years, I wonder how the Lord thinks I handled this trial. Of course, I view the past with rose-colored glasses and feel like we weathered the storm bravely. We certainly stumbled and had some real low points, but overall, I’m kind of amazed that we were able to do it. If I had known this trial would last FOUR years; if I had known my 9 month-old Mia would be almost 5 when it ended; if I had known how long we would go without things I considered a “must have”; if I had known how hard it would be, I would have certainly given up at the start. In the Lord’s wisdom, he leads us forward one step at a time, not lighting the path ahead too much, so we can focus on the day at hand, rather than being overwhelmed by the precipice that looms ahead. I sat down on the trail, as it were, many times and cried, wishing for it to end. But now as I look back, I am amazed at what we endured. I feel like we climbed K2 with a Jansport backpack and a pair of running shoes. The Lord strengthened us and magnified our abilities in miraculous ways — that is the only reason we made it. I suspect it was the lesson we had to learn: All things are possible with the Lord (and family) on your side.
I guess in a way, I am looking forward to Sam’s 38th year, too. I am excited to reap the fruits of our patience and faith. Happy Birthday, Sam! xoxo
The Dish on The Smiths 
