My husband Stephen returned home from work the day after the terrorist acts and said, "Happy Anniversary, dear. You'll be seeing more of me these days. I just lost my job."

Steve was laid off from his position as controller of a company, due to ailing sales. Steve brought in 75 percent of our income, our health insurance, and use of a company car. Severance was minimal. We weren't prepared for this job loss. We don't have stockpiles of money saved up in case of an event like this. We, like many people all over the world, live month to month on Steve's paycheck and the additional income that I can bring in as a part-time self-employed writer and mom. Our financial situation became precarious when Steve lost his job. So, how do I, and did I respond to this family crisis?

1) I blessed the fact that he came home. Thousands last week were not so lucky.

2) I live this principle: "Gam zu letovah" -- a Hebrew expression meaning "This too is for the best." I believe this to be so. I don't know why yet. Perhaps in God's master plan, there is a much superior job out there for Steve and he wouldn't have found it without a job loss. Perhaps there is an important book project for me that I wouldn't have sought out if we didn't need the money. We don't know why this is a good thing for our family -- of course it doesn't feel like it initially -- but from the moment I heard the news, I recited that statement, "Gam zu letovah." Now, I look for evidence of why this is so.

3) This is the hardest principle to live by: Trade sympathy for positive thinking. Part of creating luck is to spread the word and tell everyone we know: "My husband lost his job. He is a talented financial expert. Please keep him in mind if you hear of a position as a controller or financial analyst in the Philadelphia or Trenton/Princeton, New Jersey area." The first response when sharing "bad news" is sympathy. It feels good, doesn't it? It's tempting to sink into a pity party when someone says: "Oh no, that's terrible. I'm so sorry to hear."

My response: "Gam zu letovah. I'm sure something positive will come from this. Terrible is poor health or the disaster that happened this past week. This isn't terrible. This is an opportunity." When I find myself being tempted to hold a pity party for myself, or I'm starting to sink into worries, I force my mind into a newer, more positive direction. Worry is just a bad habit. It does nothing to further our desire to create luck from what appears to be bad news.