A Remarkable End and New Beginning

My husband and I married one year after I graduated high school. He was ten years older than me but he absolutely swept me off my feet. Our first date was attending his ten-year high school reunion which seemed pretty serious to me from the get-go.

When I was nineteen, we took those “old fashioned” vows to love each other “for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health…”

Lord only knows we’ve been through it all.

My biggest adjustment was navigating his wonky work schedule. Gerry (pronounced like Gary) worked as a night-shift supervisor painting frames for Mack Trucks located a few towns away.

The good news? The money and benefits were great—making that forty-five minute drive well worth it. We appreciated the financial stability, but he didn’t like leaving me and two young children alone at night. (His eight year old daughter Tiffany lived with us, and our son Cody was born nine months after we married.

To help keep me sane, my sister Cindy spent most nights with me when Gerry was scheduled to work. Our crazy little plan actually worked out nicely. Having Cindy around allowed me to quickly acclimate to this whole “night-shift” thing. She was a huge help—more than she’ll ever know.

About four years into our marriage, Gerry took a leap of faith to change professions. He was burnt-out from working all nights and applied for a job at the paper mill a few towns over (in the opposite direction.)

The good news was that he’d be working swing shifts instead of straight nights. The bad news was the substantial pay cut he’d be taking in the process. This made that one-hour drive a chore, but I was thankful he stuck it out. A few years after Gerry left Mack Trucks, they closed their South Carolina plant and moved to another state further north.

As a new employee of Union Camp, (now International Paper) Gerry was still considered the “low man on the totem pole.” He simply had to prove himself, but with his patience, tenacity, and a strong work ethic, we’d “financially” recover within a few years. We pinched pennies and watched every dollar for quite some time.

Yet here we are, more than thirty years later…

International Paper has been good to us, and for that, I’m truly thankful, but after this week, shift work will no longer be a part of our lives.

I’m happy to report those twelve-hour days, and long, twelve-hour nights are quickly coming to a close. This weekend marks the last “night shift” Gerry will ever work. He will be retiring from International Paper in the very near future.

He has a little vacation time to burn, but effective May 1, 2021, he’ll be free to do whatever it is he wants to do. I couldn’t be happier for him. He’s definitely earned it.

So what’s next?

Let’s go with a normal life? Neither of us have a clue what to expect. Shift work is all we know. We’ve been accustomed to it for more than thirty years.

He’s been striving for this milestone for quite some time, which means he’s been crunching those retirement and 401-K numbers for what seems like forever. He would throw out the random numbers thinking I needed to know all the specifics. Maybe I do, but when he felt like I wasn’t listening, he’d get frustrated. What he didn’t understand was that I trusted every decision he made—especially when it came to spending and saving money. My perceived nonchalance was nothing more than total complacency. I knew if he didn’t think we were well-prepared for his retirement, he wouldn’t be doing it. His money speeches simply jumbled my mind. I was relieved when his financial dissertations ended.

We’re not rich by any stretch of the imagination, but we’re happy, wise(r), and most importantly, debt-free. This is a good place to be—especially in these ridiculously uncertain times. He’s received NO special privileges (of any kind) to get where he is today. His hard work, perseverance, and his tenacious, “bull-dog” attitude finally paid off.

My dear Gerry, may your retirement bring you peace, continued prosperity, and happiness. You’ve earned it baby. I know it’ll be an adjustment for us both, but just play your guitars, restore that old Camaro sitting in the driveway, and enjoy some down time with your brother(s) on the lake. Not only have you earned it, you also deserve it. I’ll keep my “honey-do” list to myself (for a minute.) There’s nothing I want more than to see you enjoying your time in whatever way you see fit.

I have about ten more years to work. My Monday through Friday, nine-to-five, cushy office job awaits me. I definitely can’t be your “sugar-mama” on what I make, but I can certainly add you to my health insurance. Trust me honey—it’s the least I can do.

Congratulations on a job well done. Happy Retirement to you my dear!