Brenda McDearmon is a native Texan and empty nester who enjoys Uptown Dallas apartment life with her husband of 40 years, Mike.
Brenda has been my “online” friend for a while and this summer I actually got to meet her in person when I visited Dallas for a conference.
When you follow her blog, Texas Over Fifty and her Instagram account by the same name, you can’t help but see her approach to life which she describes as one of purposeful spirit and intentional adventure.
She is the author of The Big Hunker Down: 7 Take-Cover Strategies to Weather the Storm of Job Loss and Keep Your Destiny out of the Bar Ditch.
In this episode, we talk about weathering the storms in our lives. In her case, she and Mike have weathered the storm of job loss several times in their 40 years together.
No matter what storms we face, Brenda’s analogy of what you need to do to “hunker down” in a storm will resonate with you.
What does “hunker down” mean when weathering life’s storms?
- Crouching down or taking cover or attention to a certain task or idea . Hunker down place of safety.
- Safe place for you to weather a storm or difficulty.
- A place of focused attention to get you through the storm.
Weathering Life’s Storms | Job Loss
Brenda and Mike sailed through the first 18 years of marriage with Mike on the fast track up the corporate ladder.
Words like down-sizing and corporate merger were not part of their vocabulary.
After all, their parents had worked for the same companies their whole lives and retired with pensions.
When Mike lost his job as the result of a corporate merger, they had a young family with 3 children. It was difficult and scary, but God worked it out.
Little did they know, they would experience this same scenario 3 more times.
Every time that God has taken us through the storm, we’ve hunkered down, made it through and come out with something better in many ways.
Ways to Hunker Down When Weathering Life’s Storms
- Allow yourself to grieve.
- Accept the things you cannot change. Don’t dwell on “I should have” or “what if” scenarios.
- Hash it out with someone you trust for a set amount of time. During the job loss seasons, Brenda and Mike would set aside a certain amount of time every day to hash out the what ifs, pain, anger and disappointment. After that, they wouldn’t discuss it again and focus the rest of their time on moving forward.
Every test is part of our testimony and so accepting what you can’t change is living in anticipation of the end and what testimony you’ll have when it’s over.
- Have a mindset of expectation and expect God to do big things.
- Learn how to pray big prayers.
- Let your thoughts, prayers and speech reflect that God is going to do big things.
- Recite scripture out loud. Mike and Brenda would do this every day on their walks.
- Use tools that will keep your mind right and focused on the Lord – books, podcasts, sermons, who you talk to.
- Start every day with the Word of God.
- Plan the party – even while you are waiting. Something you are going to buy or do that will help you remember this season and how God world it out.
Brenda said “It’s exciting to look back and see how God worked out each situation”
Working with God in building our faith does take time and it’s always worth it when we look back.
You may also like:
Stepping into Purpose After Pain with Anita Morris
My Side of 50 Podcast | Podcast for Women Over 50 | Episode 5 |Weathering Life’s Storms | Brenda McDearmon | texasoverfifty.com | job loss motivation | job loss surviving | job loss encouragement