Blessings

I think we are all experiencing the effects of the economic crisis right now. My husband and I definitely are. He is an assistant golf professional and was laid off 6 weeks earlier than usual this year. On top of that, he does not have a job to return to next season. He was told this on a Sunday and that Sunday was also his last day. A lot of notice, right?! To make matters worse, I had been told 4 days earlier that I will not have a job past the end of December because the business I work for is failing.

I have to admit, I was in shock first. When the shock wore off, I was devastated. I cried pretty hard. We have been doing so well and trying so hard to save money to buy a house and start a family. We had so many plans for the next 2 years, and this crushed all of them instantly.

But I am trying very hard to be positive. The truth is, there are MANY people in this country and in the world that are much worse off than we are. My hubby should be able to easily find a job this winter for next season. Does losing 6 weeks of pay hurt us? Yeah, a little. But we have plenty of money in the bank and, though it will be hard for me to use our savings, I know the money is there if we need it. Does losing my pay and our insurance feel like rocks in my stomach? ABSOLUTELY! But I have been given months of notice, and I am intelligent and have a strong work ethic, so I should have no problem finding some other job.

I believe with my whole heart that everything happens for a reason. Despite the fact that this whole situation changes our plans and is a little depressing, we both think it will be good for us. We were both in need of new work environments, and have only been staying at our respective jobs to meet the financial needs of our plans. And despite how bad it seemed at first, it might not set back our plans more than a couple of months.

Life is not always easy. In fact, it's rarely easy. But that's life! We have so many blessings and so much to be grateful for every single day, despite all that is going on. We have money in the bank, we have each other and our love and a strong relationship. We have an amazingly supportive and loving group of family and friends that would help us at the drop of a hat if we ever needed anything. We are healthy, we have food to eat and clothes to wear, and we live a pretty comfortable lifestyle.

We are not "rich" if you are thinking about the term financially, and money will definitely be tight for a little while. But we are rich in every other aspect of our lives! As long as we remember that and are grateful for these blessings every single day, I know everything will work out just fine.

Are you feeling the effects of the economy too? What are you doing to cut back and adjust for this? What are you grateful for in your life?