Recently, while at work, I received some bad news; a friend of the family had passed away. She left behind 4 children.

I was beside myself with grief. I grieved for her family, for her husband who no longer had a partner, for their young children who would grow up without a mother, and for the parents who outlived their child.

I couldn’t help but look at the parallels in our lives, and think “what if that were me?” I started picking apart my life and my priorities. I needed to spend more time with my children, to hug them more, to appreciate my time with them. I needed to be there for my family.

When I got home from work that night, I hugged my children… tight, and I cried. Then I explained to them why I was crying. Partly because I didn’t want to confuse them and partly because my daughter was in their son’s class. I needed to explain to her that her friend no longer had a mommy. That’s not an easy thing to do.

Once the kids were in bed, I sat and cried some more… to my husband. I have said before that I needed to find a job that would allow me to be home more, this put all of that into perspective.

When I had settled down, I went and got the laptop, as I usually would. I popped onto Facebook and Twitter (my usual haunts), and then checked my email. I sat staring at my screen. This was it, the answer to my prayers.

What could I possibly find in my email that could change my life? An email asking if I was interested in discussing employment with a mom-based marketing company. I cried… some more, and said yes.

Now, I have held the same position for 14 years, I had seniority, I had security, and I made a good salary. I didn’t think there was going to be anyway to justify leaving all of that.

I went for the interview, and I walked in knowing that I wanted to work for them. I just needed something to push me to leap. So we talked. The more we talked, the more I wanted it. It was a pay cut, but I still wanted it. I left saying I would have to get back to them because I needed to discuss it with my husband.

As soon as I left the building, I called. No answer. I called again. No answer. I was sitting in my car moments later when my phone rang. It was him.

I told him the details. I could work from home most of the time, I could be home for dinner (not something that happened with my other job), I could coach soccer, I could be there… for my family. This is what he said to me: “We have to make this work” and, together, we decided I should jump.

So, I handed in my letter of resignation. It felt REALLY good.

14 years.

My boss was really happy for me and totally understood why I wanted to make the change.

This is going to be a life changer! Did I mention I’m going to coach my daughter’s soccer team? I’m going to cook dinner for my family every night (that might get old quick, but right now it’s so cool!). I will see my kids WAY more, I will see my husband WAY more (he might regret this decision) and I will know that I made the right decision for my family.

It feels REALLY GOOD.