We Help Each Other Out

Helping each other is what families do. Today I am helping one of my daughters improve her financial situation. In these economic times, awaiting new laws to protect the consumer, credit card companies are increasing the interest rates, even doubling it. Under those circumstances, one can quickly loose the ability to have any impact on reducing the debt.

We decided together, Gerry and I, and this particular daughter, that it would be in all our best interest for her to be able to pay off that credit card, so we are providing collateral for a guaranteed-to-be-paid-back loan. This daughter is a single parent. I once lived in that state for a few years, before I met Gerry, so I am very sympathetic. It is a very scary place to be, and feels precarious, like living the edge, where one unexpected event can cause the whole house of cards to come tumbling down. She has been dedicated and hard working, handling it all with as much grace as possible, despite tremendous challenges and hardships.

As a family, we have helped one another out in a myriad of ways over the years. I will never forget a few years ago when this very same daughter helped us out. In fact, it was one of those rare occasions that brought tears to my ears and a lump to my throat. Post cancer surgery, Gerry had many problems. That particular Christmas day we were supposed to have Christmas dinner at single parent daughter's house. She was doing the cooking, and the family was gathering at her house. But unexpectedly that day, Gerry had a serious medical problem which required a trip to the emergency room and we were unable to travel. I called the hosting daughter to let her know. She cooked the whole meal, put it in her trunk, drove an hour and a half to our house in Syracuse, and provided family Christmas for us all. That's something I'll never forget. It made me cry then. It makes me cry now, just to think about it.

To tell you the truth, we've all been through many difficult times in our lives, each one of us in different ways. But as a family, we hold one another up.

I don't know anything any more precious than that.