I just got off the phone with my friend J.D. He and his wife live down in Eugene and he works for the state. This evening he was reading my blog post about losing my job and he called me immediately not only to give empathy, but to tell me a story of his own. It turns out he was evaluated about two weeks ago just like I was with similar suggestions for improvement. Like me, he worked on those and thought it was going well. Then, this last Friday, same day as me, he got called in and they told him they were releasing him from trial service as he was not a good fit. The exact same thing I was told. We were given identical letters and told we could go ahead and leave. Like me, he has been struggling through this as he thought it was something he had done or hadn’t done and I am sure was asking himself what he could have done to make things go a different way. Until he read my blog. He then realized through the similarity of our stories, this was spread far wider than him and even me. The governor of Oregon has called for major cutbacks in all the state budgets and J.D. thinks they are cutting the limited duration and probation period folk because that is what is easiest. He had been taking it personally until reading my story and he urged me to not take it personally either, that my performance had nothing to do with it. My manager even said I did a good job. Thinking about it, it makes sense. Three other people got cut on Monday and something my manager said I had been wondering about is now clear to me. Even if I had stayed in the other division I was originally in, I still would have gotten cut. It was a matter of money.
So, I still need a job and a means to support myself, but my pride is still intact and so is J.D.’s. We were a great comfort to each other knowing we were not alone. The one difference between our stories is he was already hired to be a youth pastor on the coast after the New Year and I’ll be looking for a job. But I’m very happy for him and his wife. That will be a great place for them. J.D. has already invited me to come spend the weekend with them on the coast and speak to his youth group. After the show closes in mid-February, that will be a great trip.
Thank you J.D. for giving me this comfort, for letting me keep my pride of a job well done, and for giving me permission to share your story on here. Even more so, thank you for reminding of why I write, of why I share myself, my joys and my pain, through the written word: so that others may find strength and encouragement in knowing they too, are not alone.