It's a sad day....

Whew. My eyes are red and puffy and my face is red and swollen. What a sight I make.

I thought about posting this earlier today, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it right then. It's only been after I've had a few hours to reflect on things that I feel strong enough to sit down and write what's on my heart. That I felt strong enough to share with you what happened just a few hours ago.

My husband was fired this morning.

While it's a huge shock, it was not a complete surprise to us. You all remember, I'm sure, that Doug's big boss was fired this summer and a new man (a clean up man) was brought in to replace him immediately. A few weeks ago, Doug heard a rumor about he was going to be fired at the end of September. So he went in to his immediate boss (not the new guy) and confronted him with what he had heard. This man didn't deny it, but assured Doug that everybody's name had been discussed, not just his. He promised Doug he was pulling for him (we truely believe he was, he and Doug go way back) and trying to keep him there, but couldn't tell him anything for sure at that point. He promised to tell Doug as soon as he knew something. That day was today.

There were three men in his dismissal meeting. The Big Guy. Doug's immediate boss. And the Comptroller. Doug's immediate boss was more choked up than Doug was after he broke the news. The new boss even had a tear in his eye. You see, Doug is very well thought of, by everyone. Like he said today, he's proud to say he's fairly certain he has no enemies. Those of you reading this that know Doug, know of what I speak. He's got a big, kind, goofy heart. They just felt they needed to move in a new direction and he was not the person to take them there. Wham. Bam. Thank you Maa'm. We are lucky in that he had a 6-month severance package negotiated in his contract. So we've got some time as far as that goes.

I have learned so much from Doug today. He has handled this difficult situation with grace and dignity. He has kept his head held high and comforted those who were more upset than he. His cell phone and our personal phone have been ringing off the hook. He was nary three hours unemployed when a good friend was already calling him about possible hire. With his excellent reputation in the industry, we have high hopes something will come along relatively soon.

In BSF, we are studying the book of Matthew. For our first lesson, we had to read through the ENTIRE book of Matthew this week. Ackkkk! We've never had to do that before. I've wondered, all week long, WHY we needed to do this. Well, today I think I figured out the answer to that question. In this newest burden God has placed before me, I truely believe he is challenging my faith in Him. My faith in this one God that provides me with everything I should ever need. My faith should not be wavering. I should stand firm in the knowledge that he cares for those who love him. These are just a few of the verses that spoke loud and clear to me today while I was working on my lesson late this afternoon....

Matthew 6:31...."So don't worry about these things, saying 'what will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live rightously, and he will give you everything you need. So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring it's own worries. Today's worries are enough for today."

Matthew 11:28...Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light."

Matthew 21:21-22....And Jesus told them, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don't doubt, you can do great things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, 'May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and it will happen. You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it."

Amen.

Hugs,
Amy