Last spring, I planted two vines from seed in my garden, and both were supposed to begin blooming within 10-12 weeks. While the foliage was gorgeous, we went through the rest of spring and all of summer without seeing a flower. And then in early October both began blooming. My back fence now has deep blue Morning Glories opening up with first light, and the front of the house has large, white Moon Vine flowers that open at sunset. These plants surprised me in their own time as did a client we worked with about ten years ago.

I know this woman’s story well because I was her coach at JobNet and became quite close to her. “Pat” worked hard and found several part-time jobs to provide for her family, but it was a struggle, so she eventually left Houston to see if another city could give her a better quality of life. All of us who worked with her were concerned she was leaving a fairly good support system with her church and CCSC, but Pat was certain this was her path.

We kept up for a few years until we didn’t. And then Pat walked in a few weeks ago – beaming and happy to be back at CCSC. When she moved, Pat found a full-time job with benefits that gave her and the children health insurance. She said the classes she took at JobNet and the lessons she learned from all the volunteers helped to target her job search, so she felt that from a distance, we had helped her to achieve her goal.

While Pat’s income was modest, it was enough. Both her children graduated from high school, and one is in college; the other opted to go straight into the workforce, and he has married and given her a grandchild. She is stable and was visiting family in Houston when she popped in to let us know the rest of her story. 

All the volunteers who worked with Pat wanted to see her find success in Houston, but she followed her instincts and moved. And in time, her life eased up, and she found the stability she was looking for, blooming in her own time.