Workin' 9 to 5.

In May 2004 my life changed drastically. I quit my job as a nighttime copy editor at a Phoenix-area newspaper and moved back to Chicago with my husband, who had just graduated from college. First on our list was to find jobs. CareerBuilder, Craigslist, and Monster.com became household names as we embarked on our search for meaningful employment. He found a job right away; I wasn't so lucky.

What followed were 10 long months of frustration and helplessness. I was picky at first--no nights or long commutes for me--but that significantly cut down my options. I soon was applying for anything remotely related to my journalism degree. I prayed every day, Lord, help me find a job. Simple, yes. But desperate. I needed money, I needed something to do, and I needed fulfillment. My emotionally draining journey ended when I was hired at a major newspaper that required me to--you guessed it--work nights and commute more than an hour to the suburbs. I was thrilled. My husband, not so much.

For almost a year and a hall, I stuck with the paper. It was a bittersweet and conflicting experience for me. While I was ecstatic to be a copy editor and page designer again, I was neglecting my personal and spiritual life. I was absent from family events, I never saw my husband, and waking up Sunday mornings to go to Mass after a late night at work became a dreaded chore. Something had to give.

Enter U.S. CATHOLIC. When I saw the ad for a production editor position located in the city, with daytime hours, and with an intelligent Catholic angle, I jumped at the chance.

I've been here since August, laying out articles that really pertain to me. One of those is this month's cover story, "Help wanted: Surviving the spiritual challenges of unemployment" (pages 12-18). Marcia Froelke Coburn speaks to several people who found comfort and support in God and from their parishes while searching for work.

I realize now that without those difficult work-related experiences--the frustration of being out of a job, the nocturnal life I led when I finally landed one--I wouldn't have fully developed the skills I now use on a daily basis.

Being a part of U.S. CATHOLIC is fulfilling in two ways. First and most important, it allows me to see my husband and family more often. Second, it allows me to "bring my gifts to the table." I'm not a theologian, a scholar, or a missionary worker, but I still can contribute to the Claretian mission in my own way. Editing is often thought of as a thankless job; you likely won't see my name anywhere else in this magazine except at the bottom of this column or on the staff listing to the right. But I'm still here to serve you. And now it's time to go back to work.