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!
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