Very soon I will be saying good-bye to a job and a place where I've spent the majority of my waking hours for the last 7.5 years. As my days now seem to be filled with saying good-bye, I've had a chance to think back about the last years and to consider some of what they have been to me. These haven't been easy years for me, and for many others, both personally and professionally.
In 2006, I lost my nephew very unexpectedly. It left a scar on my heart that in some ways, I hope will never heal. I wear it proudly as it represents the love and respect that I had for a great young man, and is a reminder to me of his tremendous life. Shortly after, we also lost my brother-in-law and father-in-law within just weeks of each other. Again, they were good men who had already contributed so much, and we all felt cheated that we didn't have more time with them. Those were very difficult times and I was so thankful to be surrounded by family and friends who "had my back", who tried to understand, and who let me grieve as I needed to.
In 2008, we started to experience the downward spiral of the economy. For John and I, we were caught in a "trifecta of potential career disaster" with our livelihoods depending on the housing industry, the financial industry, and the meetings/events industry. Everyone around us was similarly impacted by the economy and though nobody is out of the woods yet (will we ever be?), I am so proud of the fact that we were able to hold on the best we could. There were some pretty scary years and I'm thankful that we were both able to maintain our careers allowing us now the opportunity to build for the future.
For myself professionally, my day-to-day work was filled with constant change and tremendous uncertainty. I was in a position where I needed to continually adapt, support and manage through change. There were some times that were very stressful but I was always thankful to have an amazing group of peers going through the same uncertainty with me who were willing to have honest and open conversations, and most importantly, always remembered how important it was to laugh occasionally in the face of crisis.
Difficult times may have marked some of these years; however, by no means are they all that I will remember. I choose to look back on these years and also remember some of the most amazing moments.
* Watching my daughter, Mollie, graduate from high school and go on to create her own (amazing) life in college. She will be graduating next Spring and I am so proud of what she has accomplished and so eager to watch her continue to flourish.
* Seeing my daughter, Jennifer, graduate from college and begin building her own life with her husband. She has grown from a beautiful little girl into a beautiful woman and I'm honored each day to be able to be part of her life.
* Celebrating the births of my grandchildren. They bring me a joy that I can't even describe. When they are around, it is all about them in the best way possible - not because they demand it (well, maybe just a bit since they are only 2 years old and 6 months) - but more so, because when they around, it just seems like nothing else matters. I am thrilled to be able to focus on them and I don't want to miss a second.
* We've celebrated so many important family milestones: marriages, anniversaries, birthdays, the list goes on and on- supplying us with laughter and so many good memories.
Looking back, I realize that hard times and good times have sometimes come hand-in-hand. Looking forward, I know that will continue to be.
But I hope that the things that have carried me through these years (family, friends, peers) will continue to stand by my side. That is my hope for you too. Whether you are right now in the midst of a good day or a bad day, a good year or a bad year, I want you to know that you are not alone, and that if you ever need someone who might understand....I am here.
No comments:
Post a Comment