Store Closed

   It happened this week. The lovely store where I happily spent the last year and a half closed. The owner gathered us together a week ahead of time to let us know that he had sold us to a large chain.
   To say we were devastated is an understatement. We had all worked so hard for the last year. We'd taken good care of our customers. Our financial picture was looking better. We were all hopeful about the future. We had become a little family, a good team.
  Now it's all gone.
   Anne (the manager) and I were especially hurt. We had both come from large corporate pharmacies and wanted something different. We wanted to work someplace where we could really take care of people. Where we could get involved in the community. We wanted to work someplace where we could have a career and a life. Anne wanted to work someplace where she wouldn't have to farm her future children out to daycare every day. I wanted to work someplace that would allow me to attend church on Sundays and do more volunteer work.
  Those hopes are gone too.
    Anne had another reason for feeling upset. Her wedding is on Saturday. This is supposed to be an exciting happy time for her. Instead was a sad and stressful week and she did the paperwork and inventory counts required for closing the store. All while mourning the loss of the dream she had for the store.
   It was hard. We weren't allowed to tell the customers we were closing due to the terms of the sale. We felt especially bad for them. Many of them have no transportation and can't get to the pharmacy. We had a delivery service and were within walking distance for many customers. We had time to talk to them. When someone said they needed something uncommon we did our best to get it quickly and keep it in stock.
   All gone.
   We had been told by the owner that we would be hired by the company that bought us and given jobs close to our homes. That turned out not to be true. We all have to job hunt how.
   It's a trying time for me. I had such hopes and finally felt like I was in a good place. Now it's gone. C keeps reminding me that I need to have faith. That there is something better out there. Maybe there is, but right now things don't feel hopeful.
   Eventually I'll be alright. We all will. We'll gather at Anne's wedding on Saturday and celebrate her life journey. We'll all move on......