As most people know, Target Corporation in Minneapolis is going through restructuring of their company and many people are losing their jobs. The layoffs have been occurring for weeks now and are expected to continue on a weekly basis — at least for the near future.

 

My wife, Terri, works in the law department there and she has unfortunately had to deal with the unknown for weeks and weeks — going into work with stress on her face, coming home with a sense of relief.

 

She has told me she tries to stay positive and keep from worrying, but the stress is there not knowing if she’ll be the next one called to HR to pack her bags.

 

She’s hoping to stay there  but her future is so unsure, she’s making preparations in case she isn’t.

 

Since we are both believers, we pray constantly for the Lord to calm our nerves and show us a sign of his presence and comfort during this difficult time.

 

Her circumstances remind me of a stressful job situation I experienced in the late 1990s when I worked for Fingerhut Corporation as an art director.

 

I had worked at “The Hut” for about nine years when I started getting the “itch” to set out on my own and start my own design company. I tried unsuccessfully to convince several friends and co-workers to join me, but they were all afraid to take the leap so I began making plans on my own.

 

It was a scary idea, but I was determined to give it a go — so I kept my job at Fingerhut but started taking on freelance work on the side to make it a smooth transaction.

In 1996, I formed my design business and called it Imagine Design. (I’m a huge Beatle fan and love the song, Imagine by John Lennon).

 

By 1997, Fingerhut started laying off people both at corporate and later at their distribution and call center in St. Cloud. I watched as our creative department dwindled and people were having their payroll cut and were being assigned elsewhere in the company.

 

Also in 1997, the movie blockbuster, Titanic: hit the theaters and many of us joked how Fingerhut resembled the Titanic — slowly sinking over the horizon.

Little did we know, the company did “sink” a few years later but has since been resurrected by former employees.

 

In 1998, immediately following another restructuring of our department in which I was assigned to work under a “tyrant”, I went into my director’s office and submitted my two-week notice.

 

At home, I told Terri of my actions and she said she supported me in my decision, despite her fears — and mine.

 

Leading up to my resignation, I had always told Terri the hardest thing about quitting was not necessarily the job or the work — but the friends I’d gained in my nearly 12 years of employment. I wasn’t so sure I’d ever see them again once I left.

 

About half way through my two-week notice of resigning, I began having doubts and fears about what I was doing and how it would affect our finances and my relationship with my wife. However, I was so stubborn in my ways, I figured no matter what, I’d have to go through with the leaving.

 

So I prayed. I prayed to God to give me a sign that I was making the right decision. I prayed to god to help calm my fears over the next week or so and ensure Terri and I this was the path I needed to take.

 

The next morning, I left my house to make the long drive from Big Lake to Minnetonka at 4:30 a.m. I turned on the radio to accompany me and what song did I hear?

“You’ve Got  a Friend” by James Taylor.

 

“Awww,” I thought to myself as I started thinking about my friends at Fingerhut. I was sure God was saying, “They’ll always be your friends, don’t worry.”

 

Just before I got to the Holiday Station Store in Big Lake, the next song that came on the same radio station was the theme from Titanic...I kid you not.

 

I got the shivers as I again thanked God for the sign and exited my vehicle.

 

Moments later, I returned to my car with my Diet Coke and breakfast sandwich in hand and turned on the radio.

 

Again, I kid you not...Imagine by John Lennon piped through the speakers.

 

To some, they may think these three successive songs were a mere coincidence. To me, it was a sign from God saying, “everything will be okay.”

 

I called Terri right away and woke her up with the news that God had spoken to me. She calmly said, “God is good Bill.”

 

The 2002 movie, Signs by M. Night Shyamalan has a scene where one character says to another, “People break down into two groups. When they experience something lucky, group number one sees it as more than luck, more than coincidence. They see it as a sign, evidence, that there is someone up there, watching out for them.

 

Group number two sees it as just pure luck. Just a happy turn of chance.”

 

“So what you have to ask yourself is what kind of person are you? Are you the kind that sees signs, that sees miracles? Or do you believe that people just get lucky?” 

 

“Or, look at the question this way: Is it possible that there are no coincidences?”

 

I’m a believer in signs.