The Kind of Thing You Only See on Television...

Have you ever had something incredible happen to you, and think "This kind of thing only happens on TV". Well, that is exactly what we found ourselves thinking today. Jeff went to our day care provider around 12:15ish (just as he does every day before his shift starts), and was informed by one of the directors that the owners skipped town. Apparently, no one had seen them for weeks, they were past due on all of their utilities and rent, and haven't even paid their employees for quite some time. I think some of the mail labeled as "final notice" tipped off the management, so they proceeded to open the mail that had been piling up. They uncovered really bad news. Check out the story at a local news site here.

It was big shock to most, but I can't say I'm surprised. There were so many broken promises, and they seemed to have a hard time retaining employees so started hiring 16 and 17 year olds. some of them were fine... others not so much. They had a tough time covering each "classroom" with enough "teachers", and things were always just so hectic. The owners made some really obvious poor business decisions - and clearly didn't know what they were doing. I'm sure I saw more of the drama there than most parents because I spent an hour there each day while feeding Harper on my lunch break.

Regardless of whatever dramas there have been, this is a difficult situation for the employees and parents. Parents are now scrambling for daycare (and not getting paid due to time off of work), and the poor employees are now looking for jobs. Some of them were so sweet, sticking around to watch some of the children today even though they knew they would not get paid. Getting back our deposit and advance-paid tuition should be quite interesting (we may be looking at a class-action lawsuit).

I am fortunate that my boss has been great about this. She said she didn't want me to worry, and that I could work from home until... well... until this all washes out (more to come on that later). This is good timing though, and I am glad Harper won't have to go in there ever again.

S

Inside My Heart

Today I could tell you about my worries. I could go into emotional detail about how it hasn't gotten easier to part with Harper at day care. I could tell you how it breaks my heart to see him reach for me with confusion as I walk away, leaving him in a room that makes me think of some kind of puppy mill full of crying, lonely pups.

I could tell you all about my work stresses, too. I could tell you how out of my team of twelve, my boss only kept two during our reorganization. That's right - two out of twelve. I would try to find a way to explain my conflicted feelings when I found out that I was one of the two that was kept - while the others are now left to look for jobs in this horrendous economy (fortunately some already have)... I say conflicted because I was the one person that was hoping to receive the option of getting a severance package. I would try to explain how nervous I was to tell my boss that I wanted to trade places with a peer and let her take my place (a.k.a. I knew I was committing career suicide for a career I no longer had the passion for). I could go into detail about the disappointment that came when she told me that if I left, it would be voluntarily and without a severance package. I would try to explain how much I was hoping that my employer of ten years would make this difficult decision for me, though I am now coming to terms with the fact that they will not.

Instead of telling you all of this unpleasant things (which I do realize I gave you a taste of by mentioning them at all), I am going to share something else with you. I wish you could all see inside my heart. You would find something so overwhelming, it would knock you off your feet. You would find this bright, strong light that keeps me going - my incredible son. He is the best of both Jeff and I... and so much more. If you could see inside my heart, you would also see how indescribably blessed I feel to have found my soul mate. During these tough times, he is there by my side - together as a team. What would break other couples only makes us stronger. Our little family of three is just unbelievable. And if you could see inside my heart, you would realize that you were looking inside both Jeff and Harper - because my heart is within both of them.



S