Monday, March 15, 2010

Beware the Ides of …. February?

I just realized that my last post on my blog was February 15 and I feel like I’ve been in a black hole since then, having put in more than my fair share of 12-hour days at the office.

Work has been very stressful these last 30 days and, although the crisis is far from over, we’ve gotten to that point where, we’ve done all we can do and now we just wait for the chips to fall where they may and pray…. and pray …. and pray.

In a snap shot, the economy is hitting the business hard. Not that we didn’t anticipate it, but this particular stage of financial chaos came sooner than we predicted and alternate revenue streams are not fully up and running yet. So, after we just laid off 23% of our staff last year, we’ve just laid off another 17% last week and the remaining staff will have to take 3 weeks off work, half of that unpaid (furlough).

My heart and prayers go out to the individuals (and their families) that have lost their jobs. Our family knows, all too personally, about the financial devastation of unemployment. It’s been over two years now for my husband and the savings that someday would have been a down payment on a house have been eroded by electric bills and rent.

I count myself blessed that I have a job at all, and it’s a good job that I enjoy. God has been managing my checkbook and He has been working some miracles with those plusses and minuses that we’ve made it this far, but I’m still praying and petitioning for God to quickly reveal my husbands new job to him so we can feel normal again and have even more to give back for the extension of His kingdom.

As a Shakespeare geek, I couldn’t let “The Ides of March” go without explanation (for anyone who doesn’t already know). The Ides of March refers to March 15th, 44BC when Julius Caesar was stabbed to death by his Senators. There was little significance placed on the date of March 15th until William Shakespeare penned the line in his 1599 play “Julius Caesar,” Beware the Ides of March.