For Better Or Worse

I’m not sure about any of you, but I’ve had it with the word, “recession,” and the phrase, “in this economy.” For the past two years, not only has the “recession” and “this economy” been the central focus of the nation, but it’s been the center of my universe. As I’ve mentioned in past posts, I lost my job in June 2009 due to “this economy" and while, in hindsight, it was the best thing that ever happened to me, what I have not publicly written about was that, eight months later, in February 2010, my husband, a 15-year firefighter/paramedic at a local, suburban department, was laid off as well—because of the “recession.”

They say you learn new things about your spouse everyday, and I believe, you see a person’s true colors in the face of hard times. I was unbelievably impressed watching my husband’s perseverance to educate himself on governmental issues, research potential options that could help bring him, and a number of his co-workers, back to work, as well as advocate on his behalf. I was truly impressed by his unwillingness to accept defeat, his continuous optimism that kept him (and me) going, and his refusal to disengage. My husband worked hard to get hired onto the Brecksville Fire Department as a part-time firefighter and joined a recreational softball team made up of suburban firefighters from all over Cleveland. He networked—something he never thought he would ever have to do. He remained a rock and never let his heartache affect his devotion to our children and for that, I not only love him even more, but I admire him.

What I also learned was how strong he and I are as a couple. Five years ago (in August), when we recited our vows, we were unaware that the “for better or worse” that we were repeating would truly test us. While both our self-esteems were hit by the loss of our jobs, we were still able to be each other’s biggest fan. “They” say you feel fulfilled when you have a stable partner, home and job/career. For us, two out of three wasn’t bad. It was a long two years, and I’m happy to say that as of May 18, we are both back on our feet. If we weren’t who we are, we could have lost our house, our cars, our life. I’m now so happy to have only lost our jobs.

As we find ourselves looking at a more completed puzzle, we have made new vows to always remember what we went through, because it did make us stronger. We know how to work together to keep it together and we make it a point to support friends, family, etc…who are living with their own tragedies. We are better workers, better parents, a better couple, and we believe, better people.

For this, and for this only, I'm grateful for the "recession," and "this economy."