A good friend of mine and I attended our local Celtic games and festival. We had a wonderful time exploring the vendor booths, listening to the pipe and drum bands, and watching the kilted athletes hurl trees across a field. We rummaged through all of the merchandise displayed at all of the booths. Mindful of the approaching holiday season, I was mindful of the money I spent. Predictably, most of the jewelry vendors had Claddagh rings. I had always wanted the ring that symbolizes friendship, love, and loyalty, but resisted the temptation to purchase the ring of friendship for myself. I spotted a Claddagh that was slightly different offered by one vendor. Instead of the traditional hands holding the crowned heart, this little silver ring had the Celtic Trinity Knot bracketing the crowned heart. Faith, Love, and Loyalty. I couldn’t resist and bought it. I was wearing it the following Tuesday when the company where I worked dissolved several of the departments in the office I worked out of, including my own. Three hundred employees were laid off.
Faith, Love, and Loyalty. The following days were filled with all of it. I battle my need to control my life and my world daily. Logically, I know that much of what happens around me is beyond my control; emotionally, I work to control it all. The little section of the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will be done,” chokes me. Several months ago, realizing my fault in this, I began starting my day with a prayer for me to remember that God’s way will always be superior to my own. That Tuesday morning was no exception. “God, I don’t know what is best for me. Help me to remember that you are in control.” Was being laid off best for me? It was a difficult concept for me to grasp, I admitted to my pastor. Having known me for over ten years, he calmly reminded me of all of the trials God has brought me through in the past. Harder, darker periods of time that make unemployment pale in comparison. I’d kept my faith through illness and abuse and homelessness; I would keep my faith through a forced job search, too.
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