The End of an Era

Just got a call from a friend that tomorrow is her last day at work. They are closing their doors. The President of the company has declared--way too late--that the patient is dead and there is no hope of revival.

I joined the company in 2001, brought back to an industry I thought I had left behind for good in 1990 by a phone call from a former boss: "So, are you ready to come back to work?"

"No, but make me an offer."

He did and I went back to work fulltime. Back to wearing skirted suits, hose, dress shoes, and commuting.

The company was small and served a very specific niche market. I handled Customer Service. It was a perfect way to get back into the swing of things. And, for awhile, life was good. I worked hard, met some great people who have become good friends, and learned quite a bit about how not to run a company.

In a quirk of fate, I was laid off the day before my boss accepted a job with a different company, done in by office politics.

Ah, but God never closes a door without opening a window. However, God's time is not my time, either, and He took His time.

Still, I have a soft spot for the company, for the group of people who worked there, for what the President was able to accomplish for almost 30 years before his own stubbornness and personal blindspots did him in. I still got together with some of my former colleagues for lunch about once a month or so. Now they're scattered across the Bay Area. We mean to keep in touch, but it's difficult when we're working at different places.