I remember the day my dad got laid off.

He came home early. Sat at the kitchen table.
Didn’t say anything for a long time.
28 years at the same company.
$52,000 a year.
Same desk. Same commute.
Same handshake every Christmas party.
They called him into HR on a Tuesday morning and handed him a folder.
2 weeks severance. $2,000.
A COBRA packet at $1,400 a month he couldn’t afford and a thank you for your service.
He was 54.
Too young for Medicare.
Too old to start over.
Too proud to tell us how scared he was.
He spent the next 4 years working part time jobs at $14 an hour.
Not to retire comfortably.
Not to build anything.
Just to keep health insurance so a hospital bill wouldn’t finish what the layoff started.
28 years.
$1.4 million in value given to that company.
And they never called to check on him once.
I will never forget that kitchen table moment.
That’s when I learned that no company will ever love you back.