From Wit’s End

We just had an “all-hands” meeting here at my factory, at which the Plant CEO confirmed the rumors that our parent corporation is working on a decision to shut down one of two plants: this one in Blythewood, SC or the one in Newport News, VA. All operations from the closed plant would go to the other plant. Of course this is to reduce overhead, increase efficiency, etc. in these troubled economic times, yada yada yada…

Our Plant CEO told us (my paraphrase) that the pluses and minuses of which plant to close are close enough to make the decision not immediately obvious and it would take a few weeks to add all considerations up very carefully to see which way the balance tips. He told us that the data would be collected and processed in early December, and that the decision would be announced sometime during the week of December 15th.

He also said that whichever plant would be closed, it would continue operations “into 2010″, so there was no reason to panic about not having a job to come back to after Christmas or anything like that. I also know that I personally will have things to do at least until next summer if not beyond.

Even if the Blythewood plant were to be the one to stay open, there would still be many challenges and changes to be dealt with, as all the products and I presume a lot of the personnel from Virginia would be coming down here to be incorporated into our everyday operations. So things will be changing one way or the other, and we will know which way right before Christmas.

I have been wondering if/when something like this would happen, and it is a relief to know when the turning point is coming. It has been growing in my mind that my family might encounter a “life reboot” some time in the near future, and this might be the event that triggers it.

Should the worst happen, there will be many options to consider:

• It could be possible to move up to Virginia with the company in a new position. In general, this moves us farther away from both sides of the family (and many good friends), which I’d rather not do if I didn’t have to.
• When I looked a couple months ago, the Westinghouse plant south of town was looking for a few engineers, and I have a friend who works there who could put in a good word for me.
• Also, my best friend from high school works as a recruiter a French nuclear power company that has a Research & Development office in Charlotte. When I talked to him on the phone a few weeks ago, he told me that business was good and that I could send him my resume anytime.
• I’m sure there are a few other options that I can’t even conceive of at this moment…

Being of a perverse and contrary nature, I am feeling relatively calm and optimistic in the face of these circumstances. I normally have an approach-avoidance conflict with any kind of change, but the Lord has been working in my heart over the last year and I believe he has been preparing me for whatever changes will come.

From what our Plant CEO said, he sounded genuinely unsure about which way it could go, and I got the impression from what he said it truly could go either way. When a situation is balanced on a knife edge, I know that the best thing to do is pray that the Lord’s will be done, and that he is pleased to use those prayers to move things for his glory and our good. So I would ask that you pray that God’s will would be done here, and I give thanks that He has given me a considerable amount of peace regarding whatever the future holds.

That’s it for now. I will definitely keep you posted.