Labor Day
We recently celebrated Labor Day. So many people think of Labor Day as simply a
day off of work to celebrate the end of Summer.
The day isn’t about recognizing a specific person, group, or event but
rather America’s workforce as a whole and the many achievements that have been
contributed to our society.
Before my husband lost three limbs in Afghanistan, I was a
full-time employed mother of a newborn baby and the wife of a deployed
serviceman. All too often, I didn’t have
the opportunity or luxury of taking a day off, let alone actually spending it
relaxing. The day I received the phone
call (October 9th, 2010) saying my husband was injured was a day
that I walked away from a management position of a job I had held for 8 years.
I had worked with the company since first getting my driver’s license and some
of the employees practically raised me and became family.
After months went by with my husband’s recovery, I quickly
began to realize that our situation would be a life-long process. Granted my husband is strong-willed,
over-achieving and typically tries to do everything on his own, I knew in my
heart it was going to be extremely difficult for me to ever return to a job
that I would be working 40+ hours a week along with raising our daughter. This terrified me. I needed to work for my sanity and
well-being. I needed to feel like I was
contributing to society.
Today, I feel very blessed to have found the Heroes Thanking
Heroes program. I have regained confidence and social aspects of my life that I
had lost during our hard times. I’m able
to make a steady income for my family and still have a flexible schedule with
the ability to work from home in case my family needs me. I flourished into a team lead position and have
the opportunity to work with some of the most incredible veterans and
caregivers.
By: Ashlee Williams
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