heart broken and strangely panicky
i can't stop thinking about this...***
last night while driving heather's boyfriend home we made a stop during which he was outside the car. at that point heather told me that his mom's unemployment benefits had been "canceled" with no notice and they were totally broke, with no food at all in a house with three generations of family living together. i know that grandma gets social security so there's *some* money...enough to keep the roof over all their heads...but it's not going to go very far, obviously. anyway, heather told me all this as a way of explaining why she didn't have very much money left over (i had given her $20 when i dropped her and her bf off at the soap olympics) -- they had used the majority of the money on "big" sandwiches at subway so that he'd have food to take home with him.
is it wrong to ambush someone's pride with information you know that they don't know you know?
when we arrived at bf's house, his mom was just passing by while walking the dog. i got out of my car and told her what heather had told me, and offered her the cash i had in my wallet. $104. she looked at the kids still sitting in my car, "you two are in so much trouble." and then she burst into tears and gave me a big hug. we talked for a bit. she seems hopeful that she'll get her benefits extended in the next couple of weeks. i volunteered to cover groceries in the meantime. you know $104 doesn't go far when you're trying to feed seven people.
does providing for your family always have to include swallowing your pride, admitting your own vulnerability, subjugating and submerging exactly that intangible thing that keeps you going?
i am seriously thankful for the decent pay my boring but oh-so-flexible job comes with. i am blessed to be able to help out my friends and family during difficult times.
if you know of a pharmacy tech job in the east bay -- preferably in the tri-city area, although hayward / san leandro is ok too -- please pass the info along to me.
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*** and, oh my god, my heart hurts so much...i can't imagine living it...and all the added pressure of having kids. sure i was poor at times when i was young and first living on my own but it's much easier being food-less when you're kid-less.
last night while driving heather's boyfriend home we made a stop during which he was outside the car. at that point heather told me that his mom's unemployment benefits had been "canceled" with no notice and they were totally broke, with no food at all in a house with three generations of family living together. i know that grandma gets social security so there's *some* money...enough to keep the roof over all their heads...but it's not going to go very far, obviously. anyway, heather told me all this as a way of explaining why she didn't have very much money left over (i had given her $20 when i dropped her and her bf off at the soap olympics) -- they had used the majority of the money on "big" sandwiches at subway so that he'd have food to take home with him.
is it wrong to ambush someone's pride with information you know that they don't know you know?
when we arrived at bf's house, his mom was just passing by while walking the dog. i got out of my car and told her what heather had told me, and offered her the cash i had in my wallet. $104. she looked at the kids still sitting in my car, "you two are in so much trouble." and then she burst into tears and gave me a big hug. we talked for a bit. she seems hopeful that she'll get her benefits extended in the next couple of weeks. i volunteered to cover groceries in the meantime. you know $104 doesn't go far when you're trying to feed seven people.
does providing for your family always have to include swallowing your pride, admitting your own vulnerability, subjugating and submerging exactly that intangible thing that keeps you going?
i am seriously thankful for the decent pay my boring but oh-so-flexible job comes with. i am blessed to be able to help out my friends and family during difficult times.
if you know of a pharmacy tech job in the east bay -- preferably in the tri-city area, although hayward / san leandro is ok too -- please pass the info along to me.
-----
*** and, oh my god, my heart hurts so much...i can't imagine living it...and all the added pressure of having kids. sure i was poor at times when i was young and first living on my own but it's much easier being food-less when you're kid-less.