RRR and Smoove - thanks very much for your thoughtful replies. You make good points.
Cannot believe that, after 14 years of service, they just dropped me, with no warning, and on a Saturday, too. Not sure about their story, but to me it seems it could perhaps be an age/cost-cutting measure. You know what I mean. My daughter is a juvenile diabetic (type 1...so she dies without insulin), and this, combined with the fact that it takes a fair amount of money to swing things for seven people, is what makes me scared. I also live in a small town, and my qualifications are more "big city." Not much for work around here in general. My teacher certification expired long, long ago, and teachers are not paid much around here. Even with it, I do not have any recent in-class teaching experience, and I would be competing against people half my age (or less) for a job...in that sense, it is kind of like running.
Thanks so much for the perspective you offer. In the grand scheme of things, I am alive, and well, and loved by God and my family.
All the best...