ELKHART COUNTY — Some of the faces of the unemployed are lucky enough to find new jobs or get called back to their old ones. Even when that happens, it's not always cause for celebration.

Sandra VanDeMark knows the frustration of being unemployed. Last fall, she was laid off, like thousands of others in the RV industry.

Standing in the unemployment lines was something she wasn't prepared for.

"The first time was a frightening experience for me. I thought maybe I'd see, but I didn't see anyone I knew. Each time I went, the lines got significantly longer," she said.

Her luck changed in February when she was called back to work at Elixir Industries in Elkhart. Even though she's once again earning a paycheck, VanDeMark says there is a fear she could be back on those lines again.

"There's all kinds of, all kinds of uncertainty out there. I'm not going to deny this. I've had some good days and I've had some bad days."

That's a normal reaction according to the director of admissions for Madison Center in South Bend. Dawn Bontrager says being anxious in these times is nothing to be concerned about — as long as it doesn't interfere with day to day functioning.

"I think it takes time for it to calm down a little bit, but I think we're also in the same position. Talk to other people, are you feeling the same thing? Normalize it so you don't feel crazy and find ways to control things that do feel uncontrollable," Bontrager said.

VanDeMrk is trying to take control. She searches the Internet for coupons and takes advantage of the family's garden to can her own food. She says being on unemployment changed the way she manages money.

"I used to spend all my money and live paycheck to paycheck. Now it's like, OK, I'll hang on to a fourth of it anyway and not live for the moment, but see how this is going to pan out," VanDeMark said.

She says she's hoping for the best and looking out for the worst. She's simply hanging on to everything because she doesn't know when the next shoe is going to drop.

VanDeMark says she prays every day for the people who are in the unemployment lines and hopes she won't have to go through that again any time soon.

Join us every Thursday at 6 p.m. as we introduce you to another family and show you how they're coping with unemployment. Here on WSBT.com you can read their stories, plus find resources to help you and your family, friends or neighbors.