what a month!

This past month has been, well, an interesting one full of dramatic events leaving me excited, sad, worried, confused, yet hopeful.
Let me walk you through the month.
At the beginning of the month Bekah and I felt that we needed to make our final decision with regards to a job next year...yes, I will finally be getting my very own independent job. After interviews, second looks, phone calls, meals, and lots of prayers we decided to take the job at Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services back in Grand Rapids Michigan.
We are very excited about the job as they offer me exactly what kind of career I was looking for and the organization itself is very solid, but I just never thought I would end up back in Western Michigan. It is not that I have anything against the Grad Rapids area, but 12 years ago I left with a head full of ideas, not one being that I would return.
In those 12 years I lived at least one month in Manhattan Kansas, East Lansing Michigan, Detroit Michigan, Nashville Tennessee, Herbertpur India, Livonia Michigan, Dearborn Michgian, and finally Chicago Illinois. All of these places have been so very different yet amazing as I have so many great memories, experiences, and friends to share them with over the past 12 years.
But Grand Rapids? Really? I'm ending up back there? Still Bekah and I have peace about this decision and once again, the job is everything I wanted...praise the Lord.

Shortly after the emotions of this decision I was hit with the following:
1) A very good friend was arrested for having his computer loaded with child pornography
2) Another very close friend's mother died from a long fight with cancer
3) Still another friend's wife lost their baby in the third trimester when her uterus ruptured

Boom, boom, boom. One right after another.
Just leaves you sitting there wondering what just happened...and what is going to happen next as the days get colder and shorter all the time I keep getting emails for different forms that I need to start working on.
All of the sudden my news of a job seem, well, so little when a friend buries his son who never took a breath, a wife finds herself with 2 young children with a husband in jail, and a family finds themselves looking at Thanksgiving without being able to enjoy their mom's amazing cooking skills.
Life, it does come at you fast.
The real question is do I have the eternal perspective to keep praising the Lord like I was after obtaining my job in these situations? Can I still trust Him that in all of these situations, no matter how dire they seem to be, He is still good and in control?
I think that is my early New Year's resolution: to have an eternal perspective.