The Blessings of Unemployment

We had seen the writing on the wall for quite some time: Brent's company was headed under. Sure enough, in the beginning of November they declared cChapter 11 Bankruptcy. At that point, Brent had survived three layoffs. Confused as to why he still had a job, but grateful nonetheless, Brent continued to work there, even while madly looking for another job. He was hoping to have a new one lined up before being let go. Unfortunately, that was not the case, and he was laid off the week before Thanksgiving. Surprisingly, rather than feeling overwhelmed with stress, we have both had a peaceful feeling about the whole thing. And we have been miraculously blessed in so many ways. Below are just a few of the blessings that we have enjoyed:

*Time! It has been an amazing blessing to have Brent home over the holidays. There are no other circumstances where we would be able to enjoy so much time together as a family. We even took a fun trip to McCall, where we had a blast playing games, swimming, and just hanging out. We also trekked through the woods to cut down a Christmas Tree! (The picture above, while totally unrelated to unemployment, still just warms my heart. It's the boys snuggled up for a Sunday afternoon nap!)

*Shifting Priorities. As we have tried to cut back our expenses and reflect on what is really important, we have realized that it's not things that matter so much, after all. Much of what we used to think about doesn't seem to matter now, and we're aware of blessings all around us that we never even stopped to consider.

*Medical Insurance. We are lucky that my pregnancy will continue to be covered.

*A Back-up Mommy. Brent has been so helpful with the house and kids. That has been a tremendous blessing, especially when it comes to lifting Mason. Brent has almost completely taken over caring for him, as my back has bothered me so much that even lifting him in and out of his crib or high chair has not been fun. It has been a real relief to me to have Brent here to help with that.

*Opportunities out of the Ordinary. Having Brent home has allowed he and I both to spend lots of time volunteering in the kids' classrooms, visiting grandparents--even grocery shopping alone--all things that were never quite as easy to fit in before.