Sniffles and Aches

I am actually amazed that I have only felt sick once this year. I mean, it's been a rough year for me. Usually when I am this stressed out I tend to get a lot of upper respiratory tract infections. Stress does a fantastic job of weakening the immune system (and a louse diet along with it!).

I have awful congestion and have a hoarse everytime I speak. My body aches all over, too. My throat feels sore and the last thing that I want to do is drink water, but I know that that is the best thing to do.

I got to thinking about how much worse things could be. I could be homeless, or if not that, a home with no insulation, electricity, gas, water, food and a pending eviction or foreclosure. There could be conditions far worse than just an uncomfortable cold. What about raging sickle cell anemia? Or severe GI bleeding? Cancer? Diabetes, hypertension? How many people are dealing with some or all of the above scenarios?

I felt guilty when I bought my meds and kleenex. I am certainly no better than those with worse circumstances, so why should I still have a home and reasonably decent health? I was very grateful to have a moment when I could rest in my own home and convalesce. The best part was the fact that I got some egg nog (I <3 EGG NOG!!) to wash down my meds and vitamins with!

I have a feeling that sooner than later changes in my life will be cataclysmal, and I am glad to have some rest until that time comes.

St. Jude's Novena-Day 9

DAY NINE

O holy Saint Jude,
apostle and martyr,
grant that we may so dispose our lives
that we may always be pleasing to God.
In working out our salvation in this life
we have many needs and necessities.
Today we turn to you, asking you to intercede for us
and obtain for us the favors we ask of God.
Especially do we petition for request.
May we not so much seek temporal good but rather
what will avail our souls, knowing that it will profit us nothing
if we gain the whole world yet suffer the loss of our soul.
Therefore, may we incline ourselves toward the divine will,
seeing God's good and gracious purpose in all our trials. Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us. My Jesus, mercy.

Most holy Apostle, St. Jude,
faithful servant and friend of Jesus,
the Church honors and invokes you universally,
as the patron of difficult cases, of things almost despaired of.
Pray for me, I am so helpless and alone.
Intercede with God for me
that He bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of.
Come to my assistance in this great need
that I may receive the consolation and
help of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings, particularly -

enduring the rejection from a very rough job market, being valued for the employee that I could be and be offered a job

- and that I may praise God with you and all the saints forever.
I promise, O Blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor granted me by God
and to always honor you as my special and powerful patron,
and to gratefully encourage devotion to you.
Amen

St. Jude's Novena-Day 8

DAY EIGHT

O holy Saint Jude,
apostle of Christ,
pray that we may ever imitate the Divine Master
and live according to His will.
May we cooperate with the grace of God and
ever remain pleasing in His sight.
Especially do we ask you to plead for us
and obtain whatsoever is necessary for our salvation.
Forget not our special petitions request.
May we always be thankful to God for the blessings we have received in the past.
Whatsoever we ask for the present or future,
we submit to the divine will,
realizing that God knows best what is good for us.
We know He will respond to our prayers and petitions in one way or another. Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us…… My Jesus, mercy.

Most holy Apostle, St. Jude,
faithful servant and friend of Jesus,
the Church honors and invokes you universally,
as the patron of difficult cases, of things almost despaired of.
Pray for me, I am so helpless and alone.
Intercede with God for me
that He bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of.
Come to my assistance in this great need
that I may receive the consolation and
help of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings, particularly -

the impossible obstacle of getting a job in a market where I am easily tossed out compared to much more marketable candidates

- and that I may praise God with you and all the saints forever.
I promise, O Blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor granted me by God
and to always honor you as my special and powerful patron,
and to gratefully encourage devotion to you.
Amen

Catch-22

How do you acquire the skills and experience necessary for professional growth when you have no opportunity for a job that would allow that? How can you do something different in your field when you are not properly trained?

These are the hardest challenges I have known right now. I have never tried so hard and failed so badly. I have never felt so overwhelmed and in a situation so out of my control. I now more easily imagine how much harder it is for people in my situation with families. An unemployed single mom struggling for work and paying bills all while keeping a roof over her head is far more understandable to me now.

We pharmacists were ridiculously spoiled. We could set our hours, argue for higher pay and get any job we wanted around the street corner. Employers were at our mercy. Recruiters chased after us like we were the salt of earth, cooing and begging for us to even consider the jobs they posted. We could work part time and still have all the perks. We were so dancing in the big time.

That is a mirage now. That is effectively null and void today. Even skilled pharmacists can't find work (yeah, I know). The level of saturation going on supersaturation scares me.

I still haven't lost my ambition or desire. I don't believe that I shouldn't still keep trying because there was no reason for me to be in this profession if it wasn't for God's inexhaustible grace. I just am so beside myself that there are no opportunities for people like me. The only opportunities are for the people that have completed their journey and have already acquired all the skills necessary to be cherry picked. There does not seem to be much room for a journey, a journey in which you are learning skills from a new job.

When will things ever let up I wonder? I pray for God to take me where I can be of most use, and it doesn't seem like I am being taken anywhere at the moment. Yet there has never been a time in my life when somehow, someway I managed to survive.

St. Jude's Novena-Day 7

DAY SEVEN

O holy apostle Saint Jude, in whose honor we are gathered today, may we never forget that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ chose you to be one of twelve apostles. Because of this and of the martyrdom you suffered for the Faith, we know you are a close friend of Almighty God. Therefore we do not hesitate to petition you in our necessities, especially request. We humbly submit ourselves to the will of God, knowing full well that no sincere prayer is ever left unanswered. May we see god's good and gracious purpose working in all our trials. Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us……. My Jesus, mercy.

Most holy Apostle, St. Jude,
faithful servant and friend of Jesus,
the Church honors and invokes you universally,
as the patron of difficult cases, of things almost despaired of.
Pray for me, I am so helpless and alone.
Intercede with God for me
that He bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of.
Come to my assistance in this great need
that I may receive the consolation and
help of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings, particularly -

the near impossible task of getting a job in a market where there are no jobs and unemployment, for me as well as others, fully reigns

- and that I may praise God with you and all the saints forever.
I promise, O Blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor granted me by God
and to always honor you as my special and powerful patron,
and to gratefully encourage devotion to you.
Amen

St. Jude's Novena-Day 6

DAY SIX

St. Jude, apostle of Christ and helper in despairing cases, hear the prayers and petitions of those who are gathered together in your honor. In all our needs and desires may we only seek what is pleasing to God and what is best for our salvation. These, our petitions request we submit to you, asking you to obtain them for us, if they are for the good of our souls. We are resigned to God's holy will in all things, knowing that he will leave no sincere prayer unanswered in some way though it may be in a way unexpected by us. Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us….. My Jesus, mercy.

Most holy Apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus,
the Church honors and invokes you universally,
as the patron of difficult cases,
of things almost despaired of,
Pray for me, I am so helpless and alone.
Intercede with God for me that He bring visible and speedy help
where help is almost despaired of.
Come to my assistance in this great need that
I may receive the consolation and help of heaven
in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings,
particularly -

being selected for a job despite the odds against me; being selected because they can value me the way you value me, O my Jesus

and that I may praise God with you and all the saints forever.
I promise, O Blessed St. Jude,
to be ever mindful of this great favor
granted me by God and to always honor you as
my special and powerful patron,
and to gratefully encourage devotion to you. Amen

May the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, and loved in all the tabernacles until the end of time. Amen.
May the most Sacred Heart of Jesus be praised and glorified now and forever. Amen
St. Jude pray for us and hear our prayers. Amen.

Blessed be the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Blessed be the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Blessed be St. Jude Thaddeus, in all the world and for all Eternity.

St. Jude's Novena-Day 5

O holy St. Jude,

apostle and companion of Christ Jesus,
you have shown us by example
how to live a life of zeal and devotion
We humbly entreat you today to hear our prayers and petitions.
Especially do we ask you to obtain for us the following favor request.
Grant that in praying for present and future favors
we may not forget the innumerable ones granted in the past
but often return to give thanks.
Humbly we resign ourselves to God's holy will,
knowing that he alone knows what is best for us
especially in our present needs and necessities. Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us…… My Jesus, mercy.

Most holy Apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus,
the Church honors and invokes you universally,
as the patron of difficult cases,
of things almost despaired of,
Pray for me, I am so helpless and alone.
Intercede with God for me that He bring visible and speedy help
where help is almost despaired of.
Come to my assistance in this great need that
I may receive the consolation and help of heaven
in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings,
particularly -

getting a job when all hope is gone and no odds are in my favor

and that I may praise God with you and all the saints forever.
I promise, O Blessed St. Jude,
to be ever mindful of this great favor
granted me by God and to always honor you as
my special and powerful patron,
and to gratefully encourage devotion to you. Amen

May the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, and loved in all the tabernacles until the end of time. Amen.
May the most Sacred Heart of Jesus be praised and glorified now and forever. Amen
St. Jude pray for us and hear our prayers. Amen.

Blessed be the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Blessed be the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Blessed be St. Jude Thaddeus, in all the world and for all Eternity.