February 15, 2010
Job Loss
Joe - on to a new adventure
Last week my brother-in-law, Joe, lost his job. He has worked for a book retail company for fifteen years, but business has not been going well for a while now. These are transitional times, and crossing junctures is never easy.
Joe is close to fifty years old and he has invested the best years of his career in an industry that is becoming outdated. What does one do? Joe has many talents. He is a masterful and creative writer, an excellent judge of books and he speaks several languages. He has proven to be a patient and understanding manager, and he gets things done. But he is also a kind and gentle man, full of empathy and limitless capacity to see into the souls of others. He is honest to a fault and the duplicity of corporate dealings has left him drained and disillusioned. He is ready to move on.
So, even though Joe’s job loss is frightening and disorienting for him and his family, it also feels like an opportunity. Now he can consider what he would really like to do with the rest of his life and not just settle for the easiest answers. For the last few years Joe has been deliberately analyzing and appraising his alternatives, trying to bring his options and his affinities to the same page.
Somewhere on this journey of discovery, Joe realized that teaching has always been a part of his life. His mother was a teacher and this is a calling that has always appealed to him. This insight has made all the difference in easing the transition and Joe has decided that he wants to be a high school teacher. His managerial skills came in handy in researching the program that is right for him. Today, he heard that he was accepted into the University of Michigan Education Program (MAC.) His family is convinced that he will be a glorious teacher.
Gracious Living - Day by Day 