I've really enjoyed my time off, although I found home to be quite different from when I left it over 10 years ago. I started working after being a stay home mom for years. It was a fluke to take on this job, but it worked out beautifully in the long run, and I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity. When I first started working, I had four children still at home ranging from ages 17-9. Upon being laid-off, I soon learned that those 10 years took a toll, and I no longer have all the many duties I had before starting that job. Plus, I hired out the housekeeping duties long ago (and don't really want to change that!!), so it was a challenge to stay busy.
Initially, I walked around in a daze, but soon I started doing some simple work on the computer for my son (we've been building a website so I helped complete that...and now have helped to get our second one finished). I appreciated the busy work, but felt I needed to do something more. We (my sweet husband and I) started looking into opening a business of our own. He has wanted to do this for years, but I came on board when I realized that I'd never be safe from losing my job again if I worked for anyone else. So, we've been contemplating and working toward opening a business. It's all going well, so hopefully things will progress and we'll be business owners soon. In the meantime, I've been doing a lot of reading, cross-stitching, and basking in the beautiful sunlight with these gorgeous early summer days. It's a life I've grown accustomed to all too well. I have gone on one job interview - a job that seemed to be written expressly for me. My thoughts are if it pans out, I'll decide from there and possibly work AND open a business. But, I feel fortunate to have the choice in the matter. So many people have no choices, and many are desperate. So sad.
I am totally looking forward to the next few weeks. I'm going to visit my daughter soon as she is giving birth to my second grandson. I absolutely adore my first grandson, Porter. He is so much fun to be around and my only regret is that we don't live closer. But, I have been able to spend 15 days with them after losing my job, and will be with them another 15-16 days when she delivers. I don't think I could have been able to take that much time off had I been working, so obviously, this lay-off has been a blessing in my life. I am totally looking forward to what my future holds. I am so blessed in so many ways, and for that I am truly grateful.
