Nearly six years ago, I relocated from the town where I grew up in Southern California, the town from which I never lived more than 15 minutes, and ended up in Plano, TX to go to work at Insight for Living. IFL was the first place of employment where I felt like I was successful. Moving here for this job was the first time in my life I had experienced true success. IFL wasn’t the reason for that…it was just the conduit. I was surrounded by people who believed in me and trusted me and for the first time in 26 years, I learned to believe in and trust myself.

Oh, and it’s where I met my wife. For that reason alone, the goodness, the roughness, the ups and downs of working for a decent organization run by flawed people are well worth it. I would go through it all again 1,000 times, if I had to, for the same reason just to meet her again.

Things shifted though. I’m not sure what. But the last six months brought some frustrating times that culminated about two weeks ago when I was let go. I’m not going to go into details other than I thought that the reasons I was given for the letting go were somewhat lacking in merit (my thoughts only), but, frankly, I’m perfectly all right with this shift. I was kinda looking for a way out and now, this way I am receiving a decent severance.

Here’s a brief rundown of how I have spent the weeks since this all came down:

I was home with the flu when I received the phone call with the news. It was fourth day of a what was a pretty rough six-day illness. I recovered from the flu; enjoyed a three-day weekend; took a couple days to enjoy some downtime, celebrate my 32nd birthday, and take care of some wrap-up business with the company; had lunch with a potential employer; went on a 5-day ski vacation (best vacation ever…more about that later); came home; had a day to do some personal work; then started working with a new company as a contractor.

I wrote a few days ago that February was a weird month. March is off to a good start, but I feel slightly unsettled. I can’t place a finger on it. I’m not sure that I’ve fully digested February just yet and I think that may be it. I feel like I’ve been through a whirlwind.

I like where I am in life though. I am loved by a wife who adores me and who I have the privilege and honor to love each day. We are surrounded, loved, and supported whole heartedly by the very best people I’ve ever known. And I think it’s incredible (a personal victory of sorts) that something that would completely blow most people off their feet…the loss of a longtime job…can be something that I look at as an opportunity for further greatness. I hold no grudges and I would change nothing about it.

Go read read the little “About Me” section to the right. I stand by the statement I make:

Life treats me pretty well. I serve a big God who is good to me all the time…

Pretty cool.

It is only by the grace of the Lord, Jesus Christ, that I am able to live the way I do and all glory and honor to Him for all that I have and am.