To be or not to be? That is the question.

Let's go back about five years to set the stage for this blog post. I was working at the pharmacy as the Billing Manager and Stacy worked for the competitor. An opportunity arose for him to come and work for the same pharmacy as I was and he took it. Not because I worked there, but because it was a good opportunity. We worked together for a couple of years until September 2007 when I lost my job. It was a very difficult time for me, but had an amazing support system that helped me get through it. Stacy stayed at the pharmacy and I stayed at home with the kids. I have been a stay at home mom now for a little over two years, which is trying at times being with the kids all day and night, but well worth it.

Stacy was approached a while back about a position open at another company not related to pharmaceuticals. He decided at that time not to pursue this opportunity. At the beginning of December 2009 he was approached about this position a second time, this time he decided to give it some thought. At the same time the General Manager at the pharmacy resigned. Stacy has said for years that he would like to be the General Manager at the pharmacy. After he heard of this, he came home and we talked it over and decided he should at least let his interest be known. The month of December and beginning of January became a little stressful trying to weigh the options of both opportunities before him.

During the month of December the higher ups at the pharmacy decided to make a few changes and offered him the opportunity to be the General Manager, but the money wasn't there. After turning down the job, they came back and said they could offer him the Pharmacy Manager position and this way he could learn more about the financial side of things and be more prepared if the General Manager position became available again. Once again it was time to weigh the options.

Our main concern with him taking the other job, was insurance. We would have to get a private insurance policy just in case and none of the pre-existing stuff would be covered. So, no medicine or doctor appointments related to needing the medicine would be covered. Stacy and Courtney both take medicine daily and I should as well, but I am awful about it, so there would be an added expense until the new insurance kicked in, three months later. Also, he would lose his vacation and sick time he had built up over the past several years and would be starting from scratch all over again. I was relieved when he accepted the position, because I did not want to have to mess with all the insurance stuff, especially with two doctor appointments scheduled for the kids in February. $$$$$

After much soul searching he decided to accept the Pharmacy Manager position at the beginning of January. Last Thursday it was made official to the staff at the pharmacy and the new General Manager starts today. I needed to wait to post this information until after everyone at the pharmacy had been notified.

So, I feel like after two years of wondering why I needed to lose my job, I finally have an answer. I'm a firm believer in all things happen for a reason and I feel this is the reason. If I was still employed at the pharmacy, I would have needed to quit or he would not have been able to have this opportunity, instead we just had to wait things out. He even informed me last night, that his office is my old office and now it's time to decorate. I had already printed out a couple of pictures of the kids and put them in a hinged frame for his desk, which he was to take with him today.

Congratulations Stacy! We are proud of you!