by Laura Conaway

Mara writes:

The reason I decided to write today is because today is the first day where I have really been hit hard by the crisis. I mean of course prior to today I had cut back on shopping and been in serious discussions with my significant other about how to cut household expenses. I've been online reading blogs about "no-spend" years for inspiration and so on. But still I think the fear was very small compared to what I felt when I got a phone call from my Mom today telling me that my father got laid off today.

 

Now I'm in graduate school and mostly self-supporting so it's not like this puts me out on the streets. But my Dad has been with that company for, I believe, 25 years. He was a Vice President for gosh sakes! And this is no tiny company. He worked for [...] company in their headquarters in [...]. Yesterday they laid off 120 people and my Mom called me and she sounded tense but said that her and Dad's jobs were safe at least for now (they both work at the same company). Then today she called me and said they called Dad in the office and told him today was his last day. She kept repeating that everything is going to be fine, but how can it be fine?

In one day going from a long-time, loyal, valued and fairly well-paid employee to unemployed. And he's at that age where he's too young to retire but he shouldn't have to be doing this. He shouldn't have to be fighting hard to get what will probably be a lower paying much less senior job. I feel so sad for him and for all the other Americans going through this and scared for myself too. Anyway, guess I thought I'd share a personal scary moment from this economy.