I have four sons - Josiah David, Elihu James, Solomon Emmanuel, Daniel Joseph. My wife's pregnant with our fifth child right now, due in September. We don't know yet whether we'll be having another son or our first daughter. We're very excited to find out, either way.
What sort of world will my sons become men in? They're quite young now - ages 5, 4, 3, and almost 2. But what sort of nation will this be 20 years from now? How about 30, 40, or 50 years from now?
Sometimes I wonder which choices I'm making now will influence my children for the rest of their lives, perhaps my grandchildren and great grandchildren as well. What sort of example am I setting? What am I telling them about life, about their responsibilities and what to expect, about how to make good decisions and do what's right?
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Immigration Anniversary
A year ago next Saturday I was just arriving in Montana to look for work.
Much has changed.
Thursday I switched out of the truck I'd been running in as a contract pumper, which I had gotten brand new and had only put about 25,000 miles on, and I switched into another new truck as an employee of one of the world's largest energy companies.
They pay for all the fuel, insurance, and maintenance.
I have a company cell phone and laptop for business purposes, as well as a company credit card for travel and procurement expenses.
They give me great training, including computer-based courses I can take from home, not only helping me to be more productive in the present, but also preparing me for a very profitable future at their company, or anywhere else in the oil and gas industry for that matter; and they pay me for my time!
What's more, I enjoy my work! There's enough variety to avoid boredom - it isn't constant physical labor, nor constant talking, nor is it constant sitting at a desk or in a driver's seat.
I don't feel dehumanized, as if I'm just an extension of a piece of machinery, as I did at that factory I worked in for 9 months. I don't feel as though I'm being pressured to lie and defraud, as I did at another workplace of mine in Ohio.
We're on our way out of debt, with all our credit cards paid off, and also one of our auto loans. My wife is now back in Ohio for her first visit since moving out here with the boys back in June, in part to drive that car we've just paid off to my dad so I can sell it to him as part of a repayment for years of relying on his generosity to stay afloat.
We aren't wealthy (by American standards, anyhow), but when I compare my income now to the best of jobs back in Ohio, when I worked harder than this and yet couldn't pull us above the poverty line, I'm so relieved to be earning a decent wage that allows us to buy the necessities without worry.
Now I'm saving for our first home, hopeful we'll be able to either buy one outright, or else purchase some land and have a modular brought in. My company wants me to move to Sidney to be closer to my route and the office, exciting in part because it tells me they want to rely on me more, and/or they're concerned for my safety with the amount of driving I do now.
In any case, housing is still the biggest hurdle. There's a scarcity of rental options, and what is available is very highly priced and has been spoken for by the time you call. Homes for sale are more plentiful, but we're still trying to climb out of the financial hole after years of scraping by. I'm hoping to save up for a down payment within 6-9 months time and have us moved before next February.
In conclusion, the point isn't to brag, but rather to excitedly explain what's possible. I've grown so tired and depressed of the economic and political doom and gloom I hear in the news. Sometimes I wonder if anything truly good can or does happen in this world. Surely I'm not the only one who feels that way. To some extent, I like telling my story because it reminds me of hope.
Elsewise, I like the thought that my encouraging story will give hope to someone else; if they have hope they will persevere.
Much has changed.
Thursday I switched out of the truck I'd been running in as a contract pumper, which I had gotten brand new and had only put about 25,000 miles on, and I switched into another new truck as an employee of one of the world's largest energy companies.
They pay for all the fuel, insurance, and maintenance.
I have a company cell phone and laptop for business purposes, as well as a company credit card for travel and procurement expenses.
They give me great training, including computer-based courses I can take from home, not only helping me to be more productive in the present, but also preparing me for a very profitable future at their company, or anywhere else in the oil and gas industry for that matter; and they pay me for my time!
What's more, I enjoy my work! There's enough variety to avoid boredom - it isn't constant physical labor, nor constant talking, nor is it constant sitting at a desk or in a driver's seat.
I don't feel dehumanized, as if I'm just an extension of a piece of machinery, as I did at that factory I worked in for 9 months. I don't feel as though I'm being pressured to lie and defraud, as I did at another workplace of mine in Ohio.
We're on our way out of debt, with all our credit cards paid off, and also one of our auto loans. My wife is now back in Ohio for her first visit since moving out here with the boys back in June, in part to drive that car we've just paid off to my dad so I can sell it to him as part of a repayment for years of relying on his generosity to stay afloat.
We aren't wealthy (by American standards, anyhow), but when I compare my income now to the best of jobs back in Ohio, when I worked harder than this and yet couldn't pull us above the poverty line, I'm so relieved to be earning a decent wage that allows us to buy the necessities without worry.
Now I'm saving for our first home, hopeful we'll be able to either buy one outright, or else purchase some land and have a modular brought in. My company wants me to move to Sidney to be closer to my route and the office, exciting in part because it tells me they want to rely on me more, and/or they're concerned for my safety with the amount of driving I do now.
In any case, housing is still the biggest hurdle. There's a scarcity of rental options, and what is available is very highly priced and has been spoken for by the time you call. Homes for sale are more plentiful, but we're still trying to climb out of the financial hole after years of scraping by. I'm hoping to save up for a down payment within 6-9 months time and have us moved before next February.
In conclusion, the point isn't to brag, but rather to excitedly explain what's possible. I've grown so tired and depressed of the economic and political doom and gloom I hear in the news. Sometimes I wonder if anything truly good can or does happen in this world. Surely I'm not the only one who feels that way. To some extent, I like telling my story because it reminds me of hope.
Elsewise, I like the thought that my encouraging story will give hope to someone else; if they have hope they will persevere.
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