Sugar Babies: Pray for the Wisdom of Mick Jagger

I typically help Heather edit blog entries for typos and grammar, but in trying to cope with all this time on my hands, I decided to add a few thoughts.

So the month of October concluded with a seriously horrid pyrotechnics display, and early November was stage to the encore performance. Amid national and international economic failings, our first big hit was finding out on October 27 that our company was in dire straits and instead of pulling up my chair and getting to work, I was being laid-off along with 4/6 of the staff and spending the next hour and a half boxing up my books and belongings.

This blow was compounded by the realization that I had to return the company car that afternoon, which especially stung considering we sold our totally paid off car about a month ago as it was "unnecessary." The drive home was quite a trip as I considered how to tell Heather "Good morning honey, I couldn't figure out what to get you for your 30th birthday next Monday, and since 30 is a big milestone and deserves something extra special, I decided to get laid-off and lose our second vehicle in the process. So, are you surprised? Is this the best, most original present ever? Oh yeah, and here's my last paycheck, don't spend it all in one place."

So Monday was obviously awesome (please note the extreme use of sarcasm), Tuesday was spent looking for jobs on the internet and calling friends in the business, and along came Wednesday. Wednesday actually looked like it was going to be a pretty good day as we were driving to the airport to pick up Heather's mom, Debbie, from the airport, but we couldn't get out of the neighborhood without one of our inattentive neighbors backing into our stopped car at the stop sign, bending and twisting the heck out of the front bumper and lights. Despite the fact that he was playing his radio too loud and didn't know his suburban was equipped with mirrors, he was at least smart enough to be well insured. Our car was still drive-able and we were able to safely get to the airport with my hands positioned at 10 and 2 on the wheel and eyes on the road, afraid to tempt fate with relaxation.

The remainder of the week was spent hearing that most people in my industry didn't have enough work to hire new staff, and those that had work were too cautious to hire right now. We did a lot of budget number crunching and a lot of praying. The real twinges came as we realized that if something didn't happen soon, it was going to become very difficult to keep the roof over our heads, pay the bills, and feed the kids. Things looked pretty bleak.

Along with the loss of job and transportation came the realization that we had lost the illusion of self-sufficiency and all the little perks and pride that go along with it. We realized that Heather had to get a part time job for us to make ends barely meet, our weekends and holidays would be changed or negated altogether for the foreseeable future, and we were going to have to learn to communicate, organize, and budget to maintain any semblance of order. Job opportunities continued to evade us and feedback from potential employers was painfully slow.

Despite the undeniable fact that we were in a tight spot due to a loss of a job, we endured nothing remotely approaching the Biblical trials of Job. It was easy to see our difficulties, but we began to count all our blessings. Our families have constantly been by our side our entire lives, and our friends have been sure to check on us regularly, offering words of encouragement. Instead of fretting with us over things, elders within our church told us that most of them had been in similar situations, even multiple times, and assured us that we would get through this. Some people we barely knew went out of their way to provide help and guidance. As our children sat on our laps and smiled at us, it was all too easy to realize we were not in this alone, we would get through this and we were still very blessed.

Amidst the turmoil we were able to spend some wonderful moments together as a family. The Tuesday following Jeff being laid off, we bundled the babies up and headed to the park for some much needed distraction. Although we are glad to have a house, we had to take a break from it. Norah and I played on the playground while Heather and Justin sat on the swings, all of us enjoying our little family and the beautiful weather. A couple of nights later Norah discovered a clown nose in one of the closets and we played with that for a while, laughing as we took turns trying it on. We even spent one night all together in our bed, bundled and cuddled.

These seemingly little things have put life's value in perspective. It was in these moments that we found peace from the constant worry and fear. The moments that reminded us that we have always been watched over and taken care. That the plan we have for ourselves is not always the path we are meant to travel.

For some reason this all reminds me of the wisdom of Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones. Not their habit of pickling their livers and frying their minds with illicit drug use to create their own reality, but moreso a few lines from an old song. I'm not sure what the majority of the song is even about, and I'm not sure I really want to know, but the pertinent part goes something like this:

You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes, well you just might find
You just might find
You get what you need

Naturally I include that somewhat in jest, and it may not speak to everyone. Alternatively since 7:02 AM October 27, I have considered a hymn that was written in 1923 by Thomas O. Chisholm.

Great is thy faithfulness!
Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning, new mercies I see.
All I have needed thy hand hath provided;
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.

After hearing about unemployment rates skyrocketing, companies closing, and other grim news things have in fact turned around for us. Within 2 weeks of all heck breaking loose, I have accepted a job with an old friend and will start November 17. The office is located such that I can ride the train to work and shouldn't need to drive, although my Aunt and Uncle graciously let me borrow a truck to drive to the train station. Heather accepted a part time job (nights and weekends) not far from home and we should soon be back in the black again, just like AC/DC.