My Last Job

My last position was a interesting one, and a short experience. Although I am unemployed, I am counting my blessings that God didn’t keep me there for long. I was a manager for a Payday loan company from January to April.

When I emailed my resume for the position, I wasn’t sure what the company was, as they had an anonymous email address posted for job replies. When I got the call for the first interview I wasn’t excited to find the type of company it was. I went to the interview anyway – these days being picky about a job isn’t the smartest thing to do.

After the initial interview, I had a talk with God about the situation. “If you want me to have the job, I’ll get the job.” A week later I was hired. Some of my family and friends weren’t too excited about the situation, but I reassured them that God only had me there for a season. Part of me meant what I said, the other part was just saying it to get them off my back. Little did I know it was the truth.

I was responsible for the day to day operations of the store. Everyday I prayed that God would give me the strength to do the job required by my boss, and to serve Him in the process. It wasn’t as easy as it sounds. I can’t say this for every Payday loan company in existence, but I can say it for the store I represented – honesty is not their policy. I struggled with this daily and God never failed to provide an avenue for me to be honest with ALL of my customers.

I knew when I started this position that it was a mission field for me. I had the chance to pray for each customer that walked through my door. That could have been the only prayer they received. I had the opportunity to pray for a customer in need of nothing more than simple words to encourage her.

During my time there I began to realize my boss didn’t appreciate my integrity. There were various requests made that I didn’t feel necessary to be a part of. (If you are interested in hiring me and need more information, I will be glad to provide that for you in private.)

Then the day came that explained every reason for me working there. A homeless man walked into my office and changed my life. You can get all the details on this amazing story in my personal blog at www.sundijo.wordpress.com. I knew when that man walked out the door my purpose of working there had been fulfilled.

I was complimented for the job I was doing. People were paying on time, business was slowly growing, and the company was happy. So that’s what they told me anyway. On April 10, 2009 I was fired without a reason. When I walked out of that office for the last time I thanked my boss for the opportunity to work there; I really meant it. I was thankful for the people I met and the lives that Jesus was able to touch through me.

Not many people are willing to use the word “fired” so openly. I know, it doesn’t really make people want to run right out and hire me, but I’m being honest. I wasn’t fired for any wrong doing. I wasn’t fired for lack of devotion to my job. I was fired because of my integrity, and I can’t find any better reason than that.

For resume information, please contact me at dollyg01@gmail.com. I’m still looking for that dream job!

Some Of My Favs About The Jobs I’ve Had

Although I’ve barely touched the surface on the jobs I’ve had, I wanted to share some of my favorite things. If by chance you don’t want to wait send me an email and I will forward my resume.

I already told you about the deer skinning experience, so I’ll spare you more details. When I was 13 I went to work as a dishwasher at the local cafe. Let’s be honest, washing dishes was not my favorite thing to do. But I made the job fun. At the end of each night we would crank the radio up as loud as we could and make music with the utensils. It became a nightly ritual.

When I was 14 I started working for the local newspaper. My cousin just happened to be my boss. I worked there during the day in the summertime and washed dishes at the cafe at night. One of many memories I had there was going through all of the old issues and seeing the changes over the years. More info on my newspaper days to come.

I moved to Nashville after graduation in 2001 to pursue songwriting. I became a waitress to pay the bills. There was a Shoney’s one block from my apartment, but I chose to work at the Shoney’s 20 minutes away, next to the Grand Ole Opry. I was told I could see the stars there, and I did see some. My favorite part of working there though was meeting Alneta. She was the “mother hen” of the place. She took me under her wing and treated me as if she had known me all of her life. Every night she would sing me a song she had wrote or recite her latest poem, putting her arm around me and telling me that I had a bright future.

Another favorite was being employed for Bodies… The Exhibition. I know, just the name sounds creepy. It was an exhibit to show the depths of what the human body looks like and can do. It was a pretty amazing place. One of my favorite parts of the job was reading the testimonies at the end of the exhibit. So many people gave credit to God for the wonderful creation He made. It made me happy to know that an exhibit ran by those who didn’t necessarily live a Christian life touched the lives of those who did.

That’s just a few memories in a nutshell – more to come.

Visit my personal blog @ www.sundijo.wordpress.com

How Did I Know I Wanted To Write?

I was in Mrs. Moore’s sixth grade class. Each class had to make their own poetry books. It was the biggest project of the year. We had to do everything from Couplets to Haiku’s and I was not the least bit excited. As a matter of fact, I thought it was the stupidest thing I had ever heard of! Who wants to sit around and think of a bunch of rhymes? Mrs. Moore informed me that I did, whether I liked it or not. Little did I know that year would start me on an amazing journey through my life.

Once I put the pen to paper I couldn’t stop. I loved it! I ate, slept, and breathed writing – I couldn’t get enough of it. Whether it was a poem, a song, or just my thoughts, I was constantly doing it.  Mrs. Moore assured me that I had found my future. Now that I look back, I owe her a big thank you. Something tells me she will read this, so thank you! You go down in my book of favorites.

At the end of the year we had an award ceremony for all the Junior High students. There were the Honor Society awards, the perfect attendance awards, and the sports awards, to name a few. Then there was the award for top poetry writer of the year. “The award goes to Sundi Jo Graham.” I was pretty sure I was the only one in that building with that name, but I had to look around just to make sure.

I received my award and a hug from Mrs. Moore with the words, “I’m so proud of you.”

Hold onto those memories as goofy as they may seem. They could be what sets your life on course.

www.sundijo.wordpress.com

My First Job – Not For the Faint at Heart

My grandpa owned  a small grocery store on main street in my hometown. Woolley’s Shopping Basket was the one-stop shop for bread, bologna, and the latest gossip. It was also the check-in and processing station every deer and turkey season. You shot it, he made it ready to eat.

My grandparents had six daughters, no boys. Each girl grew up learning all about the man’s trades. That’s how their grandchildren were raised too. I remember as a little girl, standing outside watching all the people coming and going, bragging about the deer they just shot. My aunts and the cousins old enough to work were all in assembly line. Check the deer in, hang it up, skin it, take it to the freezer, and off to the next one.

I wanted to be a part of that so bad! I used to carry a plastic knife and pretend I was somebody important. I couldn’t wait for the day my grandpa would tell me I could trade in the plastic for a real knife and get to work. Finally he did. I was eight years old and got to skin my first deer! At this point you’re probably thinking I really need a life, but it’s one of the greatest memories of my life. It was the first time I remember feeling like I was part of something important.

You may call it child labor, I call it the experience of a lifetime. I’ll try and save you most of the gory details. It’s a memory that I will keep forever. For three weeks our family was together non-stop. We worked, we played, we talked, we were happy. It seemed that the rest of the world didn’t exist during that time. It was just the Woolley’s, no one else.

I did it every year from that point on. One of the biggest highlights of that job? I got to skin the deer of former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Tom Henke – not everyone can put that on their list of accomplishments I’ll spare you the words my grandpa said to me under his breath if I messed that one up. That job taught me the principles of working hard, saving my money, and how important relationships are. I only wish that store was around today to teach my children the values that I learned.

www.sundijo.wordpress.com

What Job Do I Often Dream About?

If I were to give one specific answer to that question, it would be to entertain others. There are many ways I would love to do that.

I love to write. I love to act. I love to make others laugh. I love to inspire others. I’ll go into detail on each in a later post.

My dream job used to revolve around what I wanted to do. Now it revolves around what God wants me to do. As I have allowed myself to be still and listen, He has revealed to me that the talents He created me with will someday be put to use. Perhaps that is what has brought me to this point. I guess we’ll see.

I want to write a novel, do freelance work for a magazine, have a column in a newspaper. I would love to be behind the camera, getting paid to act like someone else. I would love to be on stage in the goofiest costume, telling people the same old jokes and watching them laugh. I would love to be looking into the eyes of someone who is trying to find answers as to why certain things in life have happened to them, sharing my story of overcoming, hoping to inspire them to change their lives.

And I just happen to have enough faith right now to believe those things can happen.

My Welcome Note

It is my goal through this blog to catch the attention of my next potential employer.

Through writing things about myself and chopping my resume into pieces for all to view, I’m hoping it pays off. I not only want those seeking to hire someone to see my skills and qualifications, but I want to allow them to know the person that I really am; not just the person you would see from 9-5 Monday through Friday.

As I write this I’m currently asking myself if I have lost my mind completely, but then again, I won’t know if I don’t try.

Feel free to check out my personal blog at www.sundijo.wordpress.com.

Nice to meet you! More to come.

Check back often, as I will be updating frequently.