The Gift of Labor

               Three years ago, a job was one of those things that was a given in life.  My husband had been employed for over 20 years with the same company. I had full time employment for most of my life, except when I decided to move from Detroit to Washington DC and that time of unemployment was short, perhaps three weeks. My relationship with work was related to my paycheck.  Now, my relationship with work is primarily related to dignity and fulfillment.

               On the first work day of January 2011, the CEO of my husband’s company announced that he was reorganizing the company and eliminated my husband’s department.  It was a shock.  After spending 20 years with the same company, the challenge was that ALL of his contacts were inside the company.  And so over the next 32 months, began to build a network of individuals and pursued a job.  He was employed for a short period, but for the most part, looked for work.

               It was difficult for us, for our family, for our finances, and for his dignity.  He is employed on this Labor Day.  At Mass this morning, Fr. Clint McDonell talked about how work is a gift and a way for us to sanctify our lives.  How much more I understand this idea of gift, than before his unemployment.  How much more careful we are of how we spend our gifts.  Not just careful with money, but also with our time and our talents.

               We receive many gifts during this time.  We have learned to be creative in giving Christmas and birthday gifts, to read books from the library and watch vintage movies on TV.  We better understand what others experience when they don’t have work.  We also have found great joy in volunteering.  We have decided to down size our home so that we will have more to give to others now, and when we retire.  And we want our work, whether employment or volunteer to further the kingdom of God.

               How the concluding prayer at Mass today resonated with me:

             “Having been made partakers of this table of unity and charity, we beseech your mercy, Lord, that through the work you have given us to do we may sustain our life on Earth and trustingly build up your Kingdom.”

Enjoy this day of rest!

Pure Gift

                I recently heard someone refer to an experience in his life as “pure gift”.  I may have heard this term before, but didn’t pay attention to it.  This time, I halted in my tracks and need to ponder the meaning and search my life for time of pure gift.

                The “pure gift” received by this individual was a vacation.  He was invited to go on vacation by a friend who had been given the use of a timeshare for a week.  Out of the blue, someone offered him the use of airline miles, if he ever had a need. The week was filled with great weather, terrific friendship, favorite activities and joy. 

                Pure gift is the way I now would describe last year for my family, although it was difficult to think of unemployment as any sort of gift.  If you read this blog, you will know that my husband was unemployed for most of 2011, being laid off in early January just three days short of his 21^st anniversary. Although he received a generous severance package, the shock of not going to work was difficult.    

                By early April, it was apparent that this search was going to be much more difficult than originally thought.  We enjoyed the time together as a family.  He attended every one of our son’s basketball, baseball and football games and became involved in a men’s faith group at church.  He also spent much time with his parents, who live with us.  And the two of us had more time together than we have had since early in our marriage.

                In June, the job search took a back seat to my father in law’s failing health.  My husband had to take my father in law to the emergency room on Father’s Day.  We didn’t realize that he would not return to our home.  Weeks of hospital care, interspersed with re-hab in a nursing home, ended in early August when his father died.  Without a job, my husband was able to spend many hours with his father and mother during those weeks.

                September came, and we were hopeful that a job would be just around the corner. Fortunately, my business had picked up considerably, which meant we were able to take a smaller amount out of saving each month.  Although he had a number of interviews, including some second interviews, in early December, we began to look at our savings, to determine where we would take money from to live.

                Then, on a Sunday, he had an interview.  By this time, I wasn’t paying too much attention to first interviews.  It was good to see my husband in a suit as he headed out the door.  He received a job offer the next day.  When he had me listen to the voice mail, I just looked at him.  Just as suddenly as he became unemployed, he was employed.

                He has been back to work for two months.   I am so thankful for the time of unemployment.  We still had some money left over from his severance package, he walk the last days with his father in a way that would not have been possible had he been employed.  His relationship with our son and with me is strong and his relationship with God grew exponentially. 

                Truly this is pure gift.

341 days

My husband is away on business out of state and he will not be home tonight.  This is not anything unusual in our 17-year marriage, in fact is seems rather normal.  What makes it unusual is that it is December 19^th and ithis the first night that he has been away in 2011. 

                After a relaxing and fun-filled Christmas vacation, on January 2, 2011, he went to work, looking forward to a year of exciting challenges.   To his shock, he received the news that his department was eliminated, and after 21 years of service, he was no longer needed.  He did receive a nice severance package, but that did little to ease the pain.  I am glad, that on that day we did not know that he would not work for another 341 days!

                Yet, I would not give up this past year.  Unemployment changed our lives, permanently, for the better.  While we have been giving God thanks and praise for my husband’s new job, we are also thankful for the many blessing we received during the past 11 months.

                This time last year, I was concerned about the distance that my husband’s travel was creating between him and our 13-year old son.  The years seem to be flying by so quickly.  As my son prepared to entering High School, I could almost see the beginning of college as a distant wave in the ocean that was rushing to the shore far more quickly that I desired. I was afraid that my son would be gone from the house before my husband realized it.

                This year, my husband spent hours with my son practicing his baseball and football skills.  My husband attended nearly all of his sporting and Scouting events.  They have watched movies and sporting events together.  This year of “hanging out” together had strengthened their relationship permanently.

                Another blessing is the increase in our faith this year.  My husband drove down to the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in DC one day each week to pray.  He found great encouragement and comfort in this time with our Lord.  Through a new men’s group at church, he established friendships with a number of godly men.  The combination of an established routine of prayer and a community of men with the same values drove an exponential growth in this faith and trust in God.

                My faith increased in that I had to turn his job search over to the Lord.  Not having a regular paycheck pushed one of my hot buttons.  It made me realize how much I count on money for security.  Turning our financial future over to God was a huge step, as was the decision to open his search to jobs across the country.  Although we didn’t want to move, we sought God’s guidance as his job search stretched to nine months.  As it turns out, we will not be moving now.  However, we are now open to moving at some point in the future.

                My husband had the opportunity to spend time with his mom and dad this year.  We lost his dad in August.  My husband spent many, many hours with him in the last weeks of his life.  Likewise, in the days planning for the funeral and in the weeks after, he was able to take the time to grieve and to be with others in their grief. 

                I am grateful and thankful to our great and mighty Lord for these 341 days.  He took our sorrow and helped us dance through these days.  Moreover, he did it in such a way that changed our lives forever - for the better!