One day a new supervisor was hired. The first day he came 'over the mountain' to introduce himself, he didn't start out with "Hi, I'm blah blah, you're new supervisor. I've reviewed your job performances and can't wait to work with you."
Instead he said, "You aren't the person I want in this position. I want a person with a Master's Degree and I'm upgrading the position so you won't qualify. Start looking for another job."
I wasn't frightened, I was furious. I leaned over my desk and got right in his face and told him more than a thing or two. I knew I had some protection from the Merit System.
I showed him the way out and got busy. First of all, I applied for that lofty position he was upgrading my job to. Figured it couldn't hurt. Then I talked to personnel in Atlanta, who said I did indeed have some protection, and although he could 'let me go' on grounds of my not qualifying, I could fight it and most likely the center would have to find a job for me.
Then, because I had over one hundred clients, I started telling them I might not be there much longer. One gentleman, whom I had been seeing weekly, took umbrage at this. He just happened to have a nephew who knew somebody who knew somebody in the governor's office. Who made a little call voicing their concern that a good employee would be treated in such a manner.
Making someone sweat is always good.
A week or so later I heard back from the Merit System and I had qualified for that lofty position! The look on my new supervisor's face was worth about a bazillion dollars. This, of course, made his stand of 'getting rid of me' much more shaky, as now he had no real reason to do so.
Did I mention that he never came into my office alone again, after that first meeting? I think this good ole Appalachian woman scared the crap outta him. yay!
Anyway, to make this story a little bit shorter, the center wound up offering me a raise with a position of running an entire program and an opportunity to grow in my career, which I otherwise would have never had.
I took the job and wound up, for the last several years of my career, directing two county mental health centers.
And that supervisor I so told off? Well, he wound up in prison for child molestation. Ahhhh....
But none of this is my point. (What?? you say?).
This is my point. God's Hand was in every bit of this. My personal life was in terrible shape. My first marriage had been a sham for some time. I was never physically abused, but I was treated poorly, and let's just say I had a Biblical reason for divorce.
And I loved my new job. It made divorce easier.
I also got to know several good friends. And I married one of them later.
He is my best friend. We've been married twenty-eight years. It's fun. It's a good run.
Husband is sixty-four today. He loves me, he takes care of me, we enjoy each other so much. Life is good.
See? God knew.
God always knows what He's doing.
So, to celebrate the happy ending to my bad spell in life, I say:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HUSBAND! YOU ARE THE BEST!
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| circa 1985 |
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