thanking our lucky stars...for now...

We had an interesting week...I was hoping for an easy week, it was only 3 days of work for me (monday was holiday and today is an off day). Yeah, not so much. Joe came home unusually early Wednesday night...he had told me the day before they had mandatory 7pm nights this week (which has been happening a lot more frequently lately, so I thought nothing of it). So when he walked in the door at 5:45, I knew something was wrong. He had found out at 3pm that day that Wells Fargo was closing all 683 Wells Fargo Financial stores in the next 60 days. Yes, 14,000 employees found out they no longer had a job. All branch managers and higher, along with any new credit managers (where everyone starts) are screwed, there is no chance for transfers into the bank, they are done. Everyone else (including Joe) still have a chance, we are just waiting for the elusive "package" to arrive in the mail to see where/if Joe was placed somewhere. The kicker...you have to accept the job placement, otherwise you loose the severance package.

You wonder why I'm thanking my lucky stars? You see, Joe has been interviewing for branch manager positions for the past year (he's currently assistant manager). He even interviewed for a manager position in La Crosse a few months ago. We were ready to put moving plans in motion if he had been selected. We had actually got quite excited at the prospect and started to even "make" plans. But time after time, he was turned down...was usually their #2 choice. And he was devastated time after time...he felt like he had proven himself to the company and they just continued to pass on him. His ego and confidence were bruised pretty badly and he started to question himself and his worth. It was so hard to see him rejected over and over and over again...and I couldn't do anything about it. I told him each time that everything happens for a reason and God has other plans, he's supposed to be somewhere else instead...and one day, we'll look back and understand why he wasn't chosen. Well, that day had come a lot sooner than I had thought...had Joe been selected for any of those jobs, we would be facing A LOT worse right now.

It was three days shy of my 29th birthday and for the first time in my life, I actually felt like an adult. Maybe it's because I'm married now and can no longer run home to mom and dad...maybe it's because this was the first major crisis I've had to face in my life...maybe it's because this was the first time the recession has impacted me personally...or maybe it's because my job became tremendously more important and I feel like 1,000 more pounds are on my shoulders now...either way, I never felt more scared and vulnerable as I did in that moment. And then you start to question, how secure is any job? I NEVER thought Joe's job was at stake, not once.

I just thank my lucky stars we aren't in La Crosse right now...just another example of everything happens for a reason...God sure works in mysterious ways...