On Valentine’s Day, I started work early as I normally do. I was greeted with an e-mail sent late the previous evening with the glaring subject line, “Notice of Termination.”

The subject line was bad enough. The message included this line, “The Agency finds, based on your performance, that you have not demonstrated that your further employment at the Agency would be in the public interest.” The message went on to say that I was removed from my position as of close of business February 13.

I had a lot of different emotions hitting me from all sides. I had not been just laid off. I was not cut because of a reduction in force. I was fired for not “demonstrating” that my work was in the public interest. At least that’s what the message said.

Several thousand federal employees who had been on the job less than a year got the same message. The action of making the cuts was not personal, but it sure felt like it was.

At that moment, I had an important decision to make. How would I respond to this action? I had no control over the circumstances, but I did have control over what I did next.

Feelings of anger, resentment, and bitterness, shouted for me to grab hold and dance with them. I cannot honestly say that I did not entertain those feelings for a few moments. There was another voice that was not as loud but it was convincing.

That voice came from a message that I have drilled into my mind for nearly four decades. I have given away hundreds of jars of beans with a pecan. It is a four minute sermon as to how to face circumstances exactly like I was facing right then.

If you are facing similar circumstances now, take a moment to watch the video. After you have seen it, you probably know someone who could use a lift. It won’t change your circumstances, but it will change how you view them.

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