Killer Economy Strengthens Home And Family
The brutal economy has crushed families all over America. From sea to shining sea there are waves of anguish washing over our families. When the financial tides recede there is something new left behind and worth noticing.
One of the interesting trends in response to financial difficulties is not the college age crowd taking cover at their childhood homes. There is a remarkable strategy to avoid foreclosure happening in all fifty states. Instead of your elderly parents moving in with their kids the opposite is happening. We took the plunge when the economy took my job.
My father-in-law thought my fitness equipment was a waste of money but found some room for it in the basement. However he surprised us when he asked if he could hold my daughter’s dreadnought acoustic guitar. Then he proceeded to play and actually sing. My mother-in-law is an avid reader and has fallen in love with my wife’s kindle reader.
Our financial difficulties led us home. Not our home but our family’s home. I was not prepared for the surprises. I came home from work and Pop was playing a popular guitar video game with the kids. He was totally jamming and the kids were grinning. Was it possible that we were all changing or just revealing what was already inside us?
My Mom and my Mother-in-law are now own neighboring farms on a popular internet site. My son has been learning to tie fishing flies with his Grandpa. I watched my daughter laughing as she took off biking with her Mom and Grandmother. On weekends the kids have their friends over and I believe it’s making their grandparents feel younger.
Old relationships are being renewed. My wife and I have been visiting with my parents friends and making new connections. It was through one of my Mom’s friends that my wife found out about a better job opportunity. My Dad and I had lots of talks in the workshop that I was not much interested in as a kid.
We were up late the other day trimming the tree for Christmas. We had combined some of our ornaments with my parents. Memories of years gone by were shared. My Mom brought out a box and had us gather around the kitchen table. She drew out my childhood Christmas stocking and a picture of me in my pajamas adorned with jets.
It was in those moments that I knew a cold hard fact. As destructive as our economy had become it was also the reason our home and our family had benefited. I also knew I was going to have a terrific trophy fish hanging on the wall before next winter.
