The man did all he could do to take care of his family, but, it was never enough. Having come from an impoverished background, he went to a Junior College, studied hard, and did the best he could trying to get ahead. He got a degree in business management, got a great job out of college, worked hard, got married, and then the children came; too many, 6 altogether....
He worked the same job for many years, was reliable, dependable and good at what he did. But, the economy took a nose dive and the company for which he worked outsourced his job. Meanwhile, millions were in the same position, the job market was looking bleak, and all around, the signs of a harsh and brutal recession were in plain sight...
He found a job in a Drug Store, which paid 1/3 of what he was used to earning, and with his home payments, food, gas, and all of the other costs of life, he could barely meet the end of the month. His wife had been trying to find work as well, but, with so many people looking for work, it was a tough ambition to fulfill. They had to change their lifestyle dramatically, food had to be stretched, treats were a rare sight, and all kinds of activities had been cut from the family's life...
This man went through all the right processes to ensure that he could take care of his family, but, he never imagined that such times would fall upon him. He was depressed but refused to let anyone, not anyone know. He held it inside, praying and hoping for a miracle...
The wife was very creative. She found ways to make their food money workable, she was even able to fit in some treats such as homemade cakes and cookies. She came up with ways to keep them all active by having game nights, walks in the park, and family softball games. She did everything she could do to keep her family happy that they would not fall into depression such as she was experiencing but kept to herself, for she did not want anyone, not anyone to know what she was feeling, hoping and praying for a miracle...
The children sensed the depression of their parents, though it was well masked. They were afraid, worried, and though they did not share it with anyone, not anyone at all, they were feeling the depression as well, and while they kept their happy faces visible, so that no one would suffer further from their fear, they were having trouble keeping it inside. They prayed and hoped for a miracle...
This is a common scenario these days, and everyone is struggling deep within to keep the happy face, to mask the interior frustration, fear, and depression, not wanting to share with anyone, not anyone at all, hoping and praying for a miracle...
4 comments:
This hits closer to home than you could imagine. Aside from the 6 kids (I have 2) this sounds very much like my experiences over the last few months.
hey simplyrik, that is tough... I know exactly what you are going through, believe me... most of us are undergoing some metamorphosis or another; that is, in one facet or another of our lives, we are facing transition, and it sucks!!! Transition in good times is a good thing, transition due to bad times is worse than the bad times, and we suffer so trying to stop the transition, which cannot be done... I don't know if times will ever be like they were, it just doesn't look good for us, but, I always keep the positive in mind, for it frees me from the negative which does little more than to further burden me, and Lord knows the weight is great enough... I find that in this transition, my creativity is working hard, and there are ways to balance the load, so to speak... Ex CEO's are doing some lowly hourly jobs, people are creating businesses, and all kinds of things are happening to ensure that one can make it... The saddest part is that families are suffering and the cries of the nation are not reaching Washington D. C., and if they are, they are being muted by egotists who can hear nothing more than their bragging and gloating... sorry, I know this is a long reply, but, I have had enough and I hate to see fine people suffering... in closing, I will say that it will work out, somehow, I know it will, and we are amazing people in that we always find some way to survive, and yes, it might not be the way to which we were accustomed, and it might not be fair, but, we shall prevail. I am sorry that this is happening for you and your family and for so many, and for me, it is just terrible, but, there has to be some good in it, and some lessons, and we truly will survive... God Bless and take care...
Hello Lynda,
Wow! What a great post! So timely. So many good, hard-working, well-educated people are unemployed these days and losing hope that tomorrow will get better.
During seasons such as this, Adversity will challenge us all to learn how to work together for good in order to survive the economic collapse that looms over our heads.
It's what Adversity taught me, not what Success brought me that made trusting God possible when facing what appears to be an impossible situation.
But by grace still go I.
Manchild
Thank you Manchild, very wise and profound thoughts on this subject, I appreciate your input, and I appreciate you... blessings and peace always :))))
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