Saturday, January 26, 2008

You have the right to remain silent...

...anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. This is the beginning of the Miranda Rights. How do I know? Not because I've been miranda-rized but because I live with the Law. Well, maybe dear hubby has said this to me in a moment of frustration but it probably sounded more like, "Woman, you have the right to remain silent..." Ok, you get the idea.

My husband made a career change in 2007. Or maybe I should say the whole family made a career change. Dear hubby had a very good paying job at a tire manufacturing facility but in October 2007, the Union voted to go on strike. Not good for the family finances.

Let's go back to 2005. At the urging of several local law enforcement officials (LEO), my Law-man enrolled in the local part-time police academy. Upon completion of the academy he would be qualified to serve as a Reserve Deputy on a volunteer basis. Basically this means that he would be providing security for local area events; football games, festivals, concerts, etc. He loved it.

So, during the strike in 2007 he received a call from one of his LEO buddies that there was an opening in the department for a full-time deputy position. Since he was out of work anyway, this LEO suggested that he put in his application. He had nothing to lose. But, if he made it through the interview process and received an offer, would we be willing to make the switch? It would be a BIG switch. It would require attendance at a 14 week academy which was 2+ hours away so he'd have to be away from home and a significant reduction in income. Let's just suffice it to say that Law-man and I spent a good portion of the next week speaking to the Lord above. We both got the same answer....take this opportunity. So we did.

Hubby successfully completed the three part interview process and by now it was late December. No offer had surfaced. Ok, maybe it wasn't meant to be. Meanwhile the strike ended and work resumed on January 3, 2007. Finally, paychecks were coming in again. But wouldn't you know it? Just when we thought we were getting back on track, that offer came in! Oh boy. Now what? Again, the Lord listened and answered. Hubby accepted the new position, gave his notice and we were living by faith. Law-man started in late January and left for the academy in late February. Talk about a long 14 weeks. For all of us. It had been 20 years since he'd been in a classroom setting. It took some adjusting. On June 1 it was official. Hubby was a full-fledged Man of the Law with a certificate and badge to prove it.

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