Flashback to 2025: Job Situations, Part 1

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Phone screenshot with text: FYI I just got laid off from work.

I was at work and didn't see the text. It wasn't until I arrived home and noticed Steven's car parked on the street outside our house that I had any idea of what had happened.

Thursday, February 13, 2025 Journal entry:

 Yesterday... Steven was laid off from his job at Krayden. It wasn't a huge surprise - I just didn't know whether he would quit from frustration, but this way he got a nice severance package and can collect unemployment. ...

Recollections:

Steven said he was working on a project at his desk when he was asked to talk with some people in a conference room. He was told that the company had been struggling and so some people needed to be laid off, including him. They allowed him to grab his coat before they marched him out of the building. It was a few days before he was given the rest of his belongings - including his plants. 

October 10, 2025 Journal entry:

Yesterday Steven had an interview with an engineering company that he says went really well, and he would really like this job. I hope he gets it!

October 15

...Steven had another interview with the engineering company. He thought it went well, but we are waiting to hear if they will offer him the job.

October 17

Yesterday morning I did a bit of grocery shopping and came home to see Steven printing a job offer from ME Engineering! They are willing to pay ... higher than the salary he was making at Krayden, plus the benefits are really good too! He starts work on Monday. We are so excited! We went to the temple last night, and I really felt like I was worshipping - thanking and praising God's love and mercy. He really does hear and answer our prayers (although not necessarily in the time frame we would like) but it was a blessing that Steven was available to help Brother Boe through his last days, and I have enjoyed having him home more...

Recollections:

Being unemployed for eight months was very frustrating for Steven. He sent out resume after resume and went to interview after interview, but with no success for a long time. He learned some new skills and reflected on what he really wanted to do. He attended support groups and talked to employment specialists and tried to network. He received priesthood blessings that gave us peace and sometimes left him more confused as he tried to figure out what direction he should be going, what types of jobs to be applying to, how to represent himself. Through it all, we were continually reassured by the Spirit that things were going to be okay.

There were benefits to having Steven unemployed. He was able to accompany me to my Dad's funeral without having to worry about taking time off work. He was able to go for runs, bake, play with his plants, and do some other projects he hadn't had a lot of time for while he was working. He was able to spend time with Hannah, including driving her to BYU-I when she returned to the States. We had an elderly friend, Alan Boe, who passed away from cancer in September. Boe didn't have family nearby, so it was a blessing that Steven was free to spend a lot of time with him, eventually spending the majority of every day with him throughout Boe's final weeks.

Steven's new job with ME Engineering is located in Golden, CO, at the base of the foothills - so close that he frequently goes hiking during his lunch break. The commute is only about 1/2 hour, and avoids the downtown traffic. He works 7:30am-5:30pm Monday through Thursday, but is able to come home at 11:30am on Fridays, which is nice. He likes what he is doing and likes the people he is working with. The new job is definitely a blessing!

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