Well, a LOT has gone on in the last couple of weeks. On Friday, May 6th, my work decided that they were going to downsize due to declining enrollments and I was one of the unfortunate 5 that was let go. As you can imagine, I was distraught. We have bills to pay, things to do. How was I going to get all of this done without an income?
I immediately called Ethan, crying of course, and informed him of the news. He was as sweet as could be and asked if I would come to his work and meet him for lunch. I started my trek down to Concordia, tears flowing and thoughts racing.
We talked a lot about what to do next. File for unemployment. Cancel memberships to Weight Watchers and the Gym to save money. Call my student loan processors and ask about my options. Contact my old nanny family and see if they could use a couple hours of work next week. Through out this whole ordeal, Ethan remained calm (although he said he was freaking out inside). His strength really helped me cope and realize that there were options and that there were bigger things for me. Then he said this one thing that changed my mindset from feeling helpless and like a failure to feeling comforted and taken care of...
He said: "Jenna, God knew this was going to happen 20 years ago. He has your whole life planned and He knew that we were going to go through this for a reason."
WOW.
I sat there in awe. He was right. I needed God more than ever and I had forgotten about His plan in that moment.
I went home after lunch with Ethan and thanked God for my mini-vacation. Luckily, I was already searching for a job and had a 2nd interview set up before I was laid off. This was a blessing, not a curse, that God was giving me. A mini-vacation before setting out on my next career move.
I spent the following weekend surrounded by family back in Iowa. It was the most perfect way to spend the days after being laid off. We returned to our home on Sunday night and I had received a call from my nanny family that they would need some help on Monday. God was already working his magic.
That week I nannied on Monday, Thursday, and over the weekend. I went to lunch with co-workers that I was unable to say goodbye to. I prepared for my second interview. And, I continued to lean on Ethan for strength. I remember him coming home one night and telling me that this was the happiest that he's seen me in a while. That I was enjoying being home because I wasn't stressed about going to my old place of work. We talked about how, yes, I was enjoying the time off because it felt like a vacation, but that I was ready to return to work.
Another weekend had passed and I was gearing up for my interview. Monday, May 16th came and I left for my interview as nervous as ever. The interview was great. I was able to talk to the two directors before meeting with the Dean of the Graduate School and calm my nerves down. It just felt so natural, like I was meant to be there all along. As I was leaving my interview, one of the Directors told me that she was going to recommend me for hiring and that we would just be waiting on HR to finish their end of it all. I almost cried. This was amazing. I loved the people I was talking to and I loved the mission and values of the place that I was potentially going to work. Again, God had this planned and was working very hard.
This time off has been great in a way I never thought possible. I have taken the time to thoroughly clean our house and do some things that we just weren't able to do because of working so much. I've gotten to spend great time with my old nanny family, my nephew, and best of all, my amazing and supportive husband. I am generally happier which has been so beneficial to our marriage. We are stronger than ever.
So, for now, I am just waiting on the official offer for the job and then I'll be back on track to doing something I love...
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