I just wanted to let you guys know about some things that have transpired in my life in the last several months.
You know about the death of my dear old Dad- an old Marine, a member of the Greatest Generation and my ultimate Hero.
What you don’t know is:
Four days after his death I was laid off from my decently lucrative job of 6 years. Three weeks after that an Aunt passed away suddenly. A month after that an Uncle. The family pulls together. In the meantime there are slim pickings in my particular field of expertise. Basically no real jobs to be found in my area for a person of my qualifications. Mentally it got ugly. Thank god for xbox, beer and other things. A fellow laid-off is colleague calling me mirroring my mental state. We support each other. Meanwhile all is chaos and confusion. No responses to my carefully crafted resume and letters of recommendation. I begin to despair. Am I just another statistic of today’s Economy?
A slew of part-time jobs appears. I apply for every single one of them. No responses.
Then my Mother passes away three months exactly shy of one hour of my Dad’s death. I miss saying goodbye by 10 minutes. The family is devastated yet in no small way relieved since she suffered so. I am trying not to sink into a world of self-pity.
Two days later as we are making arrangements for a funeral a call is received and an Interview is scheduled! The day after the funeral another call comes in from my old organization. They want to interview me. After two interviews with the Director and my soon to be peers I am made an offer- albeit at a diminished compensation rate and part time hours. I quickly and gratefully accept. Will start in December.
Yesterday another recruiter calls me for a part time job and I set up an interview for this afternoon. Surprise! It’s a peer interview with Supervisor/Manager present! Goes OK I think… Another one with the Director afterwards. Am told “We will be in touch by middle of next week one way or another…”
By the time I get home the recruiter is calling me with an offer. I take it. Now I have two part time jobs with competing organizations…
All is clear to me now. It has been tough, scary and uncertain. I still have no benefits. I am humbled and chastened. Probably not over yet. And I miss my parents.
Wow euge, so much going on. so sorry to hear about all your loss. Glad the job hunt is starting to pan out. I remember, i was unemployerd for over 6 months and I though I might never get a job again.
I was feeling pretty down on myself today, until I read this. Thanks, Euge, for showing me how petty my concerns can be, when someone else’s stress is so much more than mine. Kinda puts it all in to perspective. I wish you all the best, and hope things continue to improve!
You’ve pulled through what I can only imagine was one of the most challenging times in your life. So sorry to hear that things have been so tough, but we’re here for ya man! Stay positive and keep on brewing!
Dear Euge…I’m so sorry for your loss. Thanks for sharing this with your forum family.
I will be sending a lot of positive and healing thoughts your way.
Glad to hear about the job opportunities. Keep lookin’ up.
Losing your folks is tough one; in some ways, the ultimate rite of passage that generally sneaks up on us later in life. Despite the maturity that comes with the years, it doesn’t make dealing with this any easier.
But in truth, they are still with you, for as long as they’re in your thoughts.
The key to helping me deal with the losses of my Mom & Dad 18 & 20 years ago was the good memories I carried and continue to carry. Hopefully, you’ll be visited in your dreams…I experience that pleasant mystery myself quite frequently, even now after all these years.
And I never fail to wake up smiling when I’m blessed with such a visit.
Here’s wishing you peace of mind at a difficult time.
You have had a tough run of events. Keep in mind it is darkest before the dawn. Things look to be on the upswing for you. You only have one mother and father, so losing them is a terrible experience. I lost mine a long time back, and you learn to cope with the loss.
Keep your head up. Jobs are a means to an end. They do not define you. Work hard at these part time jobs and you may find good things ahead.
I send my condolences. I’m very sorry to hear about your losses and wish you the best. You certainly have endured much agony over the past several months. Keep your head up and stay focused as you’ll come out of this soon enough.
Thanks for the kind words folks. We’ve been blessed for many years with no deaths or critical illnesses in the whole family. To have everything come to a head like this has been a real shock but has brought us all- Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and Nieces closer together. Too easy to drift apart with our “busy” lives and the next thing years have passed. We started saying “we got to stop meeting like this!”
I didn’t sleep very well last night. Very excited about working again.