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Weathering the Storm Together: Helping Your Family Through Job Loss
Losing a job is never easy.
It's a life event that brings uncertainty, fear, and financial strain. But it's not just the individual who faces these challenges — job loss affects the entire family. And while our instincts may tell us to shield our children from the weight of "grownup problems," it’s important to involve them in a way that is honest, supportive, and age-appropriate.
Open Communication is Key
Start with a family meeting. This is the time to sit down together and acknowledge what’s happening. Give each member of the family the space to express their feelings and concerns. Listening is just as important as talking — sometimes more so. Children, just like adults, need to feel heard and reassured that, as a team, your family will get through this together.
Reconnecting as a Family
A silver lining in difficult times is the opportunity to reconnect. Use this period to strengthen your family bond. Plan low-cost or no-cost activities you can enjoy together. Skip the restaurant outings — instead, get the kids involved in meal planning and cooking. Start a weekly game night, go on a neighborhood scavenger hunt, or pack a picnic and spend the afternoon at the park.
Explore nature together — go hiking, fishing, or camp under the stars in your own backyard. Libraries offer free access to books, movies, and fun activities — and every child loves having their own library card. For older kids, try a hightech-free adventure like geocaching. Organize a neighborhood cookout or block party to bring the community together and lift spirits.
Talk About Money — and Get Creative
Once the news is out in the open, it’s important to have a conversation about how the loss of income may affect dayto-day life. Explain that there might be less money available for extras like entertainment or allowances, and invite your kids to share their ideas on how to cut back. You might be surprised at how imaginative and thoughtful their suggestions can be!
Involve them in small, practical ways — clipping coupons, turning off lights, or choosing water over sodas. Schedule a yard sale and encourage them to contribute unused toys or games to earn some extra money. Older children can explore age-appropriate ways to earn their own spending cash — from mowing lawns to babysitting or pet sitting over the summer.
Focus on What Matters Most
Through all the changes and challenges, remind your family — and yourself — to focus on the positives. Be grateful for good health, a loving partner, and resilient kids. Job loss may be a difficult chapter, but with open communication, creativity, and togetherness, your family can come through stronger than ever.
Support Systems Matter
One of the most overlooked but critical aspects of dealing with job loss is the role of community—friends, family, and professional advisors. Talking about the experience and receiving emotional support can ease the burden and help individuals maintain perspective.
Conclusion
Job loss is never easy, but it doesn’t have to define one’s future. With the right mindset, resources, and support, it’s possible to not only recover but thrive. The key lies in viewing the experience as a temporary setback—and potentially a turning point—on the path to something better.
Fun Facts: June
June 1: Say Something Nice Day
June 5: World Environment Day - A day meant to raise environmental awareness across the globe.
June 6: National Yo-Yo Day
June 11: Full Strawberry Moon
June 15: Father’s Day
June 20: Summer Solstice - It heralds the start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s the day with the most hours of daylight.
Marsha Greene Editor/Publisher
Let’s clean out our spiritual closets together
by Shavonnah Gaines
Shavonnah Gaines SLG Home & Event Staging, LLC
Often times we as woman carry way too much and too many of the burdens we are meant to only carry for a short while, lay down and give to Jesus.
When God says to share or to carry each other’s burdens: Galatians 6:2 .
He didn’t intend for us to keep them, He doesn’t want us to keep them packed away in our spiritual closets.
Piling up so much so ,we are overwhelmed by the responsibility of managing the clean up /fixing process.
When a loved one ,family or friend is in need of prayer, when they requests that you pray for them or with them. Even If it’s not a request but a prompting by the Holy Spirit.
Imagine picking up the request/burden for them or with them and making your way to Jesus who is sitting across the room. As you carry it you’re praying over it…
“God heal my mothers body, God touch my father mind, God please heal my sisters heart. “ As you get closer to Jesus you then lay the burden down at his feet .
He then says to you “ Thank you daughter , for returning what was loaned to you , for a short time. I have it from here”.
I personally think God is overjoyed when we return to him what he has loaned to us.
Just like we look forward to getting our crockpot back from the neighbors down the street, in the same condition we loaned it .
Essentially that’s exactly what prayer is , intercession it’s us carry each and every single need to the Lord.
Especially the ones we cannot fix ourselves, and even when we think we can fix it , it’s still best to carry it to him and ask how ?
Sometimes we are even given a burden/prayers to carry that are too heavy to carry alone .
This is when we ask another person/ believer to come along side us , as we then drag the burden together across the floor towards the Lord.
Where two or three are gather he is there in the midst of them . Matthew 18:20.
This is why we are so much stronger together and working together as one body …
As a home stager I can push a sofa across a room , once I’ve had a little help getting it inside the house.
But God knows I most definitely can not carry it on my own.
We need each other and we all need a Savior who sits across the room ,just waiting patiently for us to clean out our spiritual closets and know he is always there, to reclaim all off his stuff !
Free yourself from becoming a prayer closet hoarder .
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Living with Loss: Finding My Voice Again After Grief
How do you tell your heart that someone you love is gone? Truly gone. That the voice you once heard every day now only speaks through memories. That their hand, which once held yours, is no longer there to reach for.
I wanted to make things right. I wanted to say all the things I never got to say. But instead, I was left with silence, loneliness, and a heart that ached in ways words could never explain.
People told me I should move on. “Time heals all wounds,” they said. “You need to get over it.” But they didn’t understand the depth of my loss. How could they? One minute, I was laughing, full of light, and in the next, my world was torn apart.
What I’ve learned is this: grief is personal. There is no blueprint for healing. There is no deadline. Yes, I needed to mourn. And yes, I needed to do it my way. I had to listen to my heart—not the voices of those who didn’t understand.
There were days filled with darkness. Days I didn’t want to get out of bed. Days when I couldn’t bear to look at the past, yet couldn’t look away. The pain was heavy, and it lingered. Still does, sometimes. I cried. I screamed. I felt broken. But I refused to lock it all away. I had done that before, and it nearly destroyed me. Bottled pain has a way of exploding.
But through it all, I discovered who my true friends were—those who stayed, who listened, who simply held my hand while others walked away. They reminded me that it’s my right to mourn, to live with my grief, and to find a way forward at my own pace.
I remember your words, Mama. Even when you were sick, you were strong for me. You told me not to be sad when you were gone. You let me cry, you held my hand, and you gave me strength I didn’t even know I had. You told me to keep going, to chase my dream. And for a while, I couldn’t. The dream felt too far away, too painful without you here to witness it.
Nine years have passed since that day. That frightful, life-changing day. And in many ways, it still feels like yesterday. I stopped singing. I stopped laughing. I stopped everything. Grief shut every door inside me.
But Mama, I think you’d be proud of me now.
I'm singing again. I'm chasing my dreams again. The joy that once lived in my heart has started to return—softly, slowly, with the help of amazing friends and the music that never truly left me.
You taught me to be strong. To stand tall. To never forget what makes me happy. And though I miss you every single day, your voice has never left me. It echoes in my heart, in my courage, in the notes of every song I now dare to sing.
I love you, Mama. And you never, ever leave my heart.
Marsha Greene Editor/Publisher
Reaching Your Full Potention
H“You are not bound by fate—you are shaped by choice.”
That’s my own spin on a quote I love by Ralph Waldo Emerson: "The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be." It resonates deeply with me as a Life Coach because it captures the core of what I believe: we each have the power to become who we’re meant to be, through intention and decision.
Before stepping away briefly to pursue a few other dreams, I had the incredible privilege of introducing myself to some unlikely mentors— not through handshakes or emails, but through authentic stories. Stories of everyday people—people like you and me—courageously pursuing their full potential, even in the midst of unimaginable challenges.
Now, we're entering a new chapter. A small but meaningful shift—one that invites you to take the wisdom you’ve gathered from those stories and begin applying it to your own life.
When I reflect on the mentors who’ve shaped me most, there's a striking similarity: every one of them is actively living up to their full potential. Not perfectly, not without fear—but fully. And here's why that matters:
Reason #1: This life is a gift: You were created on purpose, for a purpose. The life you're living was handcrafted by God Himself, shaped in His own image. Let that truth settle in your heart. Now ask yourself: If this life is truly a gift from God, what is He trying to grow in me? What does He want to do through me?
Reason #2: You find your potential by seeking it: Just this past weekend, I joined a small hiking group. At first, I hesitated—I hadn’t hiked in a while and wasn’t sure I was up for it. But I showed up, risked looking a little out of place, and ended up not only getting some fresh air and exercise, but also finding a new sense of joy. It reminded me: You don’t know what’s waiting for you until you step into the unknown. In that space, you just might discover something that rekindles your passion for life
Reason #3: Growth multiplies when it’s shared: As a former Site Director in after-school programs, I saw the power of investing in others firsthand. The skills and wisdom I gained along the way didn’t end with me—they were tools I could pass on. One student even wrote me a note thanking me for inspiring her to dream bigger. That’s what it's about—living in a way that fuels others to chase their own potential.
Reason #4: The most powerful leadership is lived, not enforced: We weren’t created to control, manipulate, or demand from others. We were designed to lead by example—to live so fully and authentically that it inspires others to do the same. That’s where real transformation begins.
Let me ask you this: Who’s that one person you dream of receiving a hand-written note from one day? Someone who sees your growth and says, “Thank you—you inspired me.”
Now, are you living in a way that makes that possible?
Take a moment today—maybe over a cup of coffee or tea—and ask yourself if there’s an area in your life where you've been putting off growth. That could be the very area where your greatest impact is waiting.
Let’s not wait for someday. Let’s begin now.
Marsha Greene Editor/Publisher
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