It has been coming for a while and conditions were right for a shift in employment. But that decision to shift was still difficult. Jim loved working at Guinness but it was time to move on. Jim was amazing at being a tour guide but he wanted more and had hopes to move up in the company. The pandemic brought changes moving his position under retail and it became apparent that there wasn't a path to advancement at Guinness for him. We were also getting really tired of him working weekends, holidays and evenings. It was wearing on our family. Jim's employment path has been covered in blessing and we trusted that the next step was no different.
He started looking at jobs in the sales/ distribution side of the industry and immediately got interviews. He got a job offer with Bond Distributing as a merchandiser and decided to say yes. The sales profession side of the industry will give him exposure to a whole new aspect of the industry and he will gain a whole new set of business skills. Being back at a salaried job with benefits and a regular weekday work schedule is also really appealing.
Leaving Guinness though was hard. He loved being a part of the Guinness brand. He loved getting to talk about his favorite beer and he enjoyed his co-workers. Jim told innumerable stories of his co-workers, their varied lives, struggles and journeys. Most of them were much younger than him and he became a solid source to them. When talking with them it came across that they really valued his solid decent presence and he became an example for them. It was hard to leave. On his last day his co-workers got together at the local after work hangout, State Fare. Lots of people turned out to send him off, buy him a drink, give a gift, and get a hug. I got a chance to join him that night and I was glad he got a good send off.
Jim's off-roading continues as he learns the ropes of a distributing company. The Rav-4 that we bought this past summer is coming in very handy as his office on the road. I see God's hand in all of this. God has us and I am so grateful.
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