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Yesterday was an earth-shaking day, literally. An earthquake on the east coast? A 5.9 earthquake? That shook a lot of people up! Thank goodness there were no injuries and the damage seems minimal compared to what we normally see on the west coast.
Even though I am in Georgia, we did not feel a thing, but we had our own earth-shaking events happen yesterday to knock us off balance. My husband, who has been a hard worker all of our 30 years of marriage, who has never been out of work, who always left one job for a better one, was laid off.
Many of my readers know that I don’t currently work a full-time position outside of the home since my breakdown last year. So he has been THE breadwinner. So needless to say, this kinda set our world to shaking and spinning.
What do you do when your earth is shaking around you?
You hold on to what you know is sound and true- For me, this was my strong husband, our faith in God, and an underlying peace that it all will work out in the end.
You assess the situation around you- We knew he would be eligible for unemployment. So we went immediately and applied for that. We let our daughter who is 18 know that her monthly allowance would be coming to an end (she is away at school and lives on her own). We considered how much longer we would have health insurance and what appointments needed to happen before that ended.
We also sat down with our bills and took a hard look. We had fortunately been working to get ourselves to a decent place. We are by no means independently wealthy, but we have lived in our house 22 years, our mortgage is almost paid off and it is lower than most folks around us pay for rent. We recently paid off a major credit card bill, so other than our mortgage and a very small credit card bill with 3% interest, we are debt free. No car payments, etc. That makes us feel much better!
Consider your resources- We looked at attending technical school. Our state has a grant program where we can basically go to a state school for free. We have one in our town, 6 miles from our house. Since we are both unemployed, we would also be eligible for Pell Grant to help with living expenses.
My husband began calling a few connections he has. Salesmen he met through his company, businessmen in our church, old friends. He wasn’t asking for favors, or begging for a job, he was mainly letting them know his situation, in case they heard of something. Plus he was updating his personal references on his resume, he had been at his current job for 6 years.
Next, we sat down and I helped him make a list of the things who knows how to do. ALL of his skills. And, what does he really want to DO each day?
Start making a plan to move forward- While things may seem tough, we are actually considering this a blessing in disguise. My hubsand despised his J-O-B. Yet he would never have just walked away. And finding a comparable job will probably not be easy in this market, but that is okay. We are ready to start living a little more simpler life, a little more balanced life anyway.
He is considering how he can use his various skills and work from home doing his own things. No longer being tied to a desk or a time clock. I am sure this won’t be easy for a while, but I have the faith that we can make it work.
We had wanted to become more location independent, to be able to work from anywhere. I am able to do so, but as long as he was working a job, it would’ve never happened. Now, we have more freedom to be able to do so in the future.
If life has thrown you off balance lately, I reach out to you. Find something secure to hold on to. Assess your true situation. Inventory your resources. And then make a plan to DO something. Anything that can help you gain your balance.
Is life shaking you lately?
When #life throws you off #balance http://t.co/XyqZGCc #havefaith #faith #overwhelmed #work
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When life throws you off balance http://t.co/6RWDXbV via @womanonajourney
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When life throws you off balance http://t.co/JzFSbZn via @womanonajourney
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My sympathies, Bernice. That would certainly rock my world! I hope it’s for the short term.
We do have some shaky events in our family these days, also. We lean on our faith even more and do what we can.
Beth recently posted..ROR Sitemap for http://www.soapandgarden.com/
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When life throws you off balance http://t.co/KyGXYNE via @womanonajourney RT @mylivingpower ~ Best of luck to you & your husband Bernice!
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When life throws you off balance http://t.co/jvb5PEv via @womanonajourney
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I am new to your blog and really felt your pain reading this. But everyone I know who this has happened too, and who didn’t panic but took measured steps as you are clearly doing, looked back to say it was the best thing that ever happened to them. Just continue having faith knowing that whenever one door closes another ALWAYS opens. You just have to not be blind to the opening doors (as many people can be in their state of panic and anxiety). Sending you warm hugs from Spain.
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When life throws you off balance http://t.co/oxMoYbT via @womanonajourney
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When life throws you off balance http://t.co/j7qFvVS via @womanonajourney
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Sorry to hear of your husband’s lay-off. But remember, while it may have shaken the ground you stand on, God can move mountains! He’s got a plan, and you’ll get through this just fine =)
kp recently posted..Wordless Wednesday, or “In Which I Decapitate Iron Man”
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Hello, Bernice,
I’d say life is not shaking me lately, as I try to stay on the ground and be calm about all the things happening.
Regarding earthquakes – well, they are lately becoming very often, worldwide. I sometimes can’t believe nature can be so cruel. As a matter of fact, there are many scientists saying that the earthquakes, tsunami and floods are made artificially, on purpose, to make the population smaller in numbers… It is a very scary theory, as it can mean human race can now control nature!
Kristina L. recently posted..USA TODAY Coupon Code
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When life throws you off balance http://t.co/kV9IUfO via @womanonajourney
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My love and prayers are sent your way. You and your husband are AMAZING! The plan, the process your have already initiated, the opportunities … soon to come your way. May you have nothing but good in your future. Many of us are faithful followers …
Hilma S. recently posted..Life is Beautiful
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I’m new here as well, and I’m sorry to read about your situation. The economy is hitting everyone hard, but as you say there may be a silver lining in your future. You just need to wait and see. Good luck with it all.
Cathy | Treatment Talk recently posted..Are You Ready to Let Go of Codependency and Take Care of Yourself?
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Good for you both for taking this not so pleasant situation and turning into something that will make some of your aspirations come true! That’s so great.
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When life throws you off balance http://t.co/v2xhJ18 via @womanonajourney
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Sometimes life throws you off balance ~ http://ow.ly/6cUzE #life
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You know the saying…when one door closes, another opens. It seems to apply to your situation. With your creative and organizing skills, I know you’ll be a tremendous help to your husband. Lately, a few friends have found jobs through LinkedIn. My thoughts are with you during this challenging time.
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Hi there. I’m so sorry to heard about the news. But yes, I agree with Ms. Kanarek. When one door closes, another will surely open. And when the time’s come, you’ll see that you guys will be in better position and situation than today. Just don’t give up!
Andrew Walker recently posted..BustedTees Coupon Code
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Hi Bernice,
Don’t you worry about that, I believe that everything’s happen for a reason. Just be strong because, we’ll never know if one window closed there’s still other windows about to open.
Brent recently posted..‘Live Free Or Die’ But Don’t Go Anywhere Without Satellite Internet
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Life threw us a rather large curve ball this year. In June, I was laid off. At the end of June I had breast surgery. At the end of July, my 22 year old daughter had a 9″ x 7″ ovarian cyst removed, and lost her fallopian tube on the left side. We are 3 months over due on our mortgage, our HOA decided to access for $123 more a month for re-painting, our condo is for sale on short-sale, we are 11K in credit card debt, we were paying 2 car payments (ours and my college student daughter’s), but now we are paying another car payment for my husband’s daughter, whose husband lost his job, while she was at home with a 4 and 1 year old. I am also sending $100 a month to my 80′s parents who are on my father’s SS income, and my mother has $450 meds to pay for and can’t. (my sister helps with this too.) My little brother (51) has bi-polar and tried to hang himself twice this year. He is living with my 80′s parents. The only thing keeping us going is our intense faith that God has a plan, he just doesn’t always tell us what it is. My husband still has his job, and we have mostly our health, and we have the love of our families. We will be fine!
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Your story is both inspiring and moving. So many of us have reached this point in our lives – midlife, empty nest, what have you – and wonder why things aren’t as we’d expected or hoped they would be. I try to focus on the positive as much as possible, though there are some days when its nearly impossible. Thank you for being so open and honest about your life – I aspire to do the same through my blog, but haven’t quite reached your level of self-disclosure! I wish you and your husband all the best and hope you know that you are not alone – there are millions of us struggling in our own ways with these issues.
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