All ready to go!

Spring is just around the corner and to get ready, three saddles were cleaned and polished. This one is a used one that we got 7 years ago when we first got the horses.  If bought new, it would likely be in the neighbourhood of $2500.  We got it for  $400 and it has a good many years life left in it. We got one saddle new when we got Biz and it is the most comfortable one we own ( at least for me). It came from EBay all the way from India for a grand total of $250, or about 10% of what the saddle would cost if bought in North America. It was amazing to receive a western saddle from India of all places.

The saddle above was made by Rocky Mountain Saddlery right here in Alberta, and is at least three steps above the one made in India as far as quality goes. Cost was the major issue in buying off shore. Would I do it again? 

When I look at what is available, used, but not abused, I probably would not. There are several reasons for this. 

First is the issue of whatever you pick up, chances are it's made offshore at pennies on the dollar. This is a concern to me as we seem to be battling  high unemployment when a lot of this stuff could ( and was) at one time, be made in Canada, or the United States. The big corporations, being mainly driven by greed, and the attempt to show generous dividends, will get it made where it's cheapest to do so. If this isn't a wake-up call to Unions and Governments, I don't know what it will take to reverse it. Perhaps having Iran cut off oil to Britain and France will set the example of what can happen if an offshore supplier decides they don't like you much any more.

Second is the issue of quality. I remember when Made in Japan meant cheap and shoddy. Then made in China meant the same thing. It continues on through Korea, India, Bangladesh and the rest of Asia.  They caught up and surpassed North America very quickly in quality. It seems that we can't compete in cost or quality on a global basis anymore.

I own an Indian saddle, and own a Korean car, but in future, I will be looking at how to get quality at a reasonable price, with a Made in Canada, or Made in U.S.A. label on it.

I expect that one of these days, our governments are going to equalize the playing field and we will find our dollars worth 60 percent of today's value. Then we can put people back to work in North America.

FWIW

Job Loss = Grudge? Or?

When you lose a job, it can be devastating as a lot of you know. I lost my first job after 22 years with a company. I had worked my way up to middle management, was happy with the work and was thinking that I would probably retire from the company someday. My family was third generation in the area, and my Dad had put in 25 + years with the same company. Management changed and I found myself disagreeing with the path that the new guy was taking, based on a sound, scientific basis. Needless to say, I should have seen the writing on the wall! I worked for a year in a very high stress level and finally the axe fell. I was devastated! I was #16 of 24 management people that either quit or were fired in that year.

I was able to settle for a constructive dismissal as I had kept every performance review ever done, including a commendation from the president of the company. What really hurt was the reaction of the people that I had worked with for all those years. It was as if I no longer existed. I was, in effect dead!

For many years I hated that man and a few of my co-workers. I guess it was a pride issue.

When I became a Christian about five years ago, one of the things I had the most problems with was the issue of forgiveness. We, as Christians, are commanded to forgive! After much thought and contemplation, I started to look beyond the pride issue and look at the positive side of what the act of forgiveness meant to me.

If I had not moved from the comfortable life that I was leading in a very secure job, I likely would have continued what I was doing which overall was fairly meaningless, although great at the time.

The move took me right out of my comfort zone and challenged me in a whole bunch of ways. I developed expertise in whole new fields that I would not have considered previously. It allowed the family and me to meet some really nice people right across Canada, but most important, the circumstances led me to the Church and a close relationship with my Saviour Jesus Christ.

They say that hindsight is a great virtue, and never wrong. With what I know now and have learned since, I should have thanked that man, not hated him. The Bible says that the Lord will give us tribulations or troubles in our life, but nothing that we can’t handle in order to make us grow in the Spirit. In my case, it lead to a long route to finding the Lord.

Had this not happened, I would not have witnessed Elaine’s miraculous cure; would not have experienced God’s hand in saving me when the tractor rolled; would not have experienced God’s healing of my back and would not have been at peace the way I have been for the last 5 years.

All I can say is “God is Great!”

What about you and your loss of job security? Was it a learning experience? A growing experience? Or are you still bearing the anger and hate that I experienced?