I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S BEEN TEN YEARS!

It was ten years ago today that I was laid off from my job of twenty two years.

How time flies.

It was one of those deals where a company chooses to relocate its operations to a place where operating a business is cheaper. In this case that meant that my job was split up between Mexico and Texas.

I worked for a well-known eyewear company. I plated sunglasses - the lens frames as well as the temples. The job also entailed responsibilities of repairing our plating equipment as well as running our plating solutions through filter systems on a scheduled basis. I actually enjoyed my job.

Well in April, 1997 we were told of our company's plans to relocate. It was now time to look for employment elsewhere. One by one friends started trickling out the door to new jobs.

I was in a bind. The only jobs available in the area were off shift jobs, ones that were 12 hour over night jobs. I thought such a work schedule would really wipe out my family time. Plus I was active at my church in the after dinner hours a couple nights a week. What a tough situation. I decided to waite it out since my plating job was not scheduled to actually leave the area until November, 1998.

The passage of time at work was occupied with training my successor who came up from Texas to learn my job. He was quite a charming chap. At one point he came right out and asked me what it was like to train somebody who was taking my job away from me to another state. Talk about awkward moments. Another thing that had to be done was to pump out the plating solutions into drums for shipment to waste treatment. I must admit that I actually cried while doing that. Nobody was there to see that though since I was the only plater of twenty left at the place by that point. I watched as auctioneers came in to auction off our plating equipment to plating shop owners who came in from across the country. All the equipment that I had operated for all those years was being hauled out the door to be loaded onto giant flat-bed trucks and taken to places like Detroit. I would look out loading-bey doors to see one last time all that equipment on the back of those trucks, knowing I was seeing it for the last time.

All the memories.

Then came THAT day - November 20, 1998. It was my last day. It was the day that I was to report to work to turn in my badge. The office part of the building still had people working. Some secretaries and office workers were still there, waiting for their own end. I went into the Human Resources deparment. Alicia was there. She was very gracious to me at this sad moment. Her time was coming too; but not today. Today was MY time. She was so sweet and gentle to me as she did what she had to do - give me an exit interview and collect my badge. Tweny-two years was coming to an end.

Alicia kinda bent the rules for me as she allowed me go back, badge-less, into the back of the building to say "good-bye" to Danny the plumber. He was busy shoring up the last of his duties at that time. He was headed on to open his own business in a few weeks.

I had to walk past the remaining secretaries, who were sitting at their desks and sharing some moments of laughter among themselves. They did not know that the person walking through their area was doing so for the very last time. Their moment was light, mine was very heavy.

I got to Danny's area, an area where he and I worked together for years. Then it happened. I did not expect it. As I was talking to Danny, knowing it was the very last time I was going to see him and the area where we worked I broke down and cried like a baby. I could not hold it in. he was kind to me in that moment. There I was, an accomplished power-lifter, crying like a baby.

I left the building "walking backwards". The memories. My powerlifting buddies and I worked side by side all those years. I was married while employed there, many of my co-workers were at my wedding. I had my two kids while employed there, again my co-workers were there to share the glorious moments with me.

That night my wife took the kids and I to the movies, just to ease the pain. After the movies, when she and I were alone I broke down and cried again. Karen did all she could to comfort me. Not only did I say "good-bye" to the past, but I was also headed into an uncertain future. All I could do was cast myself on God's mercy. He was Lord over this too.

More later.