#Stop work order

Dear Curious Reader,

When things might look broken , I’ve learned that hope can be a source of strength. Even when it feels like everything is falling apart, holding onto hope can help us find the courage to keep going. Sometimes, hope isn’t about expecting things to immediately improve but trusting that we have the resilience to handle whatever comes next.

Let me take you through a moment I never thought would come: the moment I learned I was laid off. It all started on a Monday morning, after a particularly challenging week. Between the turbulence in the U.S., personal challenges, and the constant demands of motherhood, I could hardly catch my breath. But nothing could prepare me for what I faced when I opened my work computer, trying to telework from home. I had no access to the system.

Confused, I checked again. No access. Then I reached out to my colleagues, only to find that they, too, were locked out. Slowly, the realization hit: the stop work order had reached me, my job, and turned everything upside down.

Frustrated, I anxiously checked my phone, hoping for some kind of explanation or answer. Then, finally, a letter from my employer arrived, confirming what I feared: I had been laid off due to the stop work order—no prior notice, no severance pay. I was shaking as I read that email.

But then something unexpected happened. I was added to a group chat with hundreds of others in the same situation. It brought me some comfort, knowing I wasn’t alone in this. But as the days passed, the silence grew. While some were contacting the media, others reached out to lawyers, and it felt like hope was slipping away. Yet, in the quiet, we still hold on to that fragile thread of hope.

At first, I thought losing my job meant losing my identity. But I’ve come to realize that my worth isn’t defined by my job or any external factor. It’s defined by how I carry myself through tough times, the choices I make, and the people I surround myself with. Stay tuned for what happens next…