A job, it makes all the difference
My son just called me. He is out-of-town working, and had a bit of time to kill before leaving his hotel. This is his third week. The job is in his field, and well paying. It is work that he enjoys doing. This is after 3 years of unemployment. He has a wife and two daughters, and his wife has been working a minimum-wage job for the past year. He has spent the last 3 years searching for a job, taking care of his daughters, and doing odd jobs, like mowing lawns and repairing things for his neighbors. I've helped out as much as I can afford, over the last 3 years, buying all of the school clothes for the girls, getting groceries for them, slipping them $50 when I could. I watched for 3 years as he completely lost confidence in his ability to provide for his family.
His voice now sounds so happy. He's like a different person. He sounds so proud. He sounds so capable. He's making plans. Working out paying off debts and thinking about a timeline for moving to a better neighborhood.
To the folks who told him to "get a job", I can say this. Never, during that period was he not trying to find a job. Even when he felt so damned beat down that waking up in the morning was a strain.
I'm so proud of him. He didn't give up.
At one point during the conversation, I said to him that I supposed he would now be getting cable tv (something he always loved). He said, "oh no, it's not even in the foreseeable future, it's certainly not a necessity, and not an important rung into raising up their standard of living". So he learned some valuable lessons during his 3-year stint as well.
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For holding it all together.
There is INCREDIBLE strain on a marriage when a husband can't find work.
My husband has been working for one year (one year ago Tuesday), after
7 years of "freelancing", with an emphasis on the "free".
We have gotten caught up on all of our bills, have paid off our credit cards,
and recently been able to refinance.
I'm really happy for them, and you are right to feel proud of them for
keeping both oars in the water, even when it seemed that they weren't
getting anywhere.
So glad you stuck by your son and that his perseverance finally paid off. Sounds like you raised a "good 'un".
God willing, there will be many more "happy endings" like this.
SG
