Sad News

It seems like forever since I've had a chance to write. (Actually, I don't really have a chance now either, but I've been wanting to write this sad news since Wednesday.) Last week, my father-in-law lost his job. I worry because he's rather close to retirement age and I don't really know how easy it will be for him to find another. I'm not privvy to my in-laws general financial situation, and that actually leaves me feeling more anxious for them than I otherwise might. (My mother-in-law works, but I don't know how much she makes or even if she has health insurance through that job.)

Not that my own anxiety is going to be of much help to my father-in-law. I just care about him so much. Even before I married my husband, he treated me like his own daughter. Plus, I know what it's like to lose a job, having lost my job 2 years ago and being out of work for 6 months. Some days you're feeling OK, even a little happy because you no longer have to work any more. Other days, you just feel terribly anxious and depressed because not only are you lacking in money, but you also feel like you've lost your identity and you wonder if people will respect you. I remember wondering (ridiculously) to myself if it was appropriate for me to keep reading "Working Mother" since it obviously was no longer really "meant" for me.

I wish I knew what would happen, so that even if they ended up having to be a little "poorer", at least their lives would be relatively stable and secure. I wish there was something we could do to help. Right now all we've come up with is the pledge to always pay for dinner when we get together with them, and to make clear that we do not need Christmas presents (unless they want to give us something really cheap as a token, which I personally think is fine even if you *aren't* unemployed...). It doesn't seem like very much, but I'm not sure what else is possible.