When my father lost his 23-year career as the vice president of credit sales at Jordan's Department Store, our family went into a state of panic and lockdown. We had become accustomed to the annual income my father made, but now everything has changed. Our family is forced to watch our spending and make sure that the money is not wasted on needless luxuries or non-necessities. It was that one tragic day when my dad got laid –off, when our perspectives were completely changed. This is the chain of events that brought us to the moving point.

My dad got a job business consulting for Jordan's. The pay is much lower, but it is a temporary job that keeps our family above water. In addition to the consulting, he has been searching around the clock for suitable jobs that will support our family, no matter where it may take us. “I am willing to go wherever God may take us,” my father said. The searching brought forth many opportunities for him. Either these chances fell through during the interviewing process, or they just could not support our family’s needs.

My mother decided to get a job at an auto insurance agency in order to help stabilize our family financially, so we are able to eat and stay in our house. She hates the job that she has because she has not worked in over 14 years. We also clean a dog groomers called Big Dog on the weekends as a family. It is nice having a family job that can bring our family closer together.

One the other hand, my brother is attending his first year of college. We have to pay his tuition and his food plan, plus many other expenses. Other expenses include our mortgage, car payments, electric, water, gas, cable, phone, and taxes. These payments are driving us into chaos, and we must take drastic measures to remain at a somewhat stable rate. We have no choice but to sell our house, but the only problem with that is we have had it on the market for a year and taken the price down several times. No one can afford the cost of our house because we do not want to take a loss on the house.

In the midst of the family turmoil, my father was offered a job in California. The company has said that my dad is their number one candidate for the position, but they need to get the thumbs up from his future boss and make a salary offer to my father. It is his choice from there on: whether to take the offer or not and if he does, he will start working January 10. If this happens, my father will get temporary living quarters, and when our house is sold, we will move in with him, into a real home.

This is a huge change for our family, and it will take some major adjustments. California seems like a nice place to live, but we none of us want to leave our home. If this is where God is taking our family, then we must go. The best way to tackle this huge change is treating it like a brand new adventure.