Five years ago, back in the Hoosier Homeland, Mike called me at work to tell me that he was being downsized after 13 years with the company. Mike found a new job, in a new field, in Pella, IA, and we spent six months apart with him in Iowa and me and the kids finishing up with school, volleyball club, selling the house, etc. It was tough, and I remember praying for strength not only for myself and the teenagers, but for Mike, too. I was also very proud of him for taking care of his family!
Fast forward to today when my hubby was calling to see if I'd be on time at 5 to pick him up, he was anxious to see me. When I picked him up, he got in the car and apologized for being such a grump lately. I had subscribed his moodiness to a stressful project he's been working on and some painful gout flares. So I'm not suspicious at this point, but he continues to tell me that they'd been informed in October that the company was going to be cutting people. Ugh, deja vu!
So you don't have to wait until the very end of the story, like I did, Mike's job is safe!
I told Mike I wished he'd shared with me earlier, and he told me that he didn't want both of us to be worrying about it. My sweetie knows me well as I'm a worrier and a planner, so if I'd known, I would have spent the last month fretting and planning and preparing for the worst, all on top of a very busy and stressful time at my work.
When you've known someone for nearly 25 years, it's easy to become complacent and selfish without even realizing it. Me, I'm guilty and was reminded of that today by a wonderful man who has been literally miserable for the last month so I didn't have to be.
So look around your life and do something truly selfless to make someone's heart smile!
