No matter how you slice it, layoffs suck. They make you question your self worth, regardless of your experience or expertise. They cripple your income, strip you of your benefits, leaving you in a place of uncertainty and despair. Karl and I have been laid off a couple times in our careers: the worst one was when we were laid off within a week of each other. We had no idea what the future held for us in terms of making our mortgage payments or bills. It was a very scary place.

It’s even harder if you loved your job. Karl was laid off recently from a place he really loved working at. Despite feeling ashamed when he has no right to be, he still stepped up to the plate and has been swinging since. He even spends time taking care of the house, knowing I’ve been working hard for a deadline at my studio, and planned out our anniversary which we are en route to right now. If this isn’t dealing with a bad situation with grace, I don’t know what is.

For our 5th year wedding anniversary, I drew Karl a comic of how proud I am of him, handling a moment when life handed him lemons. And that’s what our marriage of 5 years and relationship of 14 has been: not just enjoying all the good parts of life, but rolling with the punches and bouncing back during the rough times, for better or for worse.

I love you Karl, and here’s to many more of what life has to offer us.