a humble thank you...

recently i went on a flo adventure.  an adventure orchestrated by a friend who will remain unnamed.  we went to the casino, a place i rarely go to, especially to gamble.  i was given an amount of money with the instructions whatever i win i get to keep, if i lose it all it wasn't mine to begin with.  so off we went.  i came away from the evening $240 richer than when i walked in.

what my friend didn't know is that this couldn't have come at a better time.  i was overdrawn in my checking account and wasn't getting another paycheck for a few days.  i was seriously wondering how i was going to put gas in my car and where the next gallon of milk was going to come from.

i heard a story the other day about a family that filed for bankruptcy and chose to lose their house instead of pulling their children out of private school and their activities.  in a way i completely understand this.  i don't want my children to feel the struggle from the choices that i have made that changed the course of their lives. 

i try really hard to not whine about my financial situation, because i know it isn't a lifelong sentence.  i will be able, once my kids are a little older, to work more hours and maybe go back to school.  at this point it just isn't feasible.  i do work very hard at living within my means.  there isn't a bunch of extras in our house, but we do spend lots of time being a family and keeping that bond strong.  i know in the long run my kids will remember all the nights we sit and play games way more than the pile of unused toys that clutter their rooms.

i am not sharing this story for sympathy.  it is more of a thank you.  a thank you to my friend for the fun flo adventure your timing was uncanny.  i was able to put a few extra things under my tree (that we don't have yet), gas in my car and food in my fridge.  a thank you to my family who fill in the gaps where i just can't make it work.  a thank you to my friends who treat my children like their own and shower them in love.  and a thank you to my landlord who puts up with a woman who struggles to make ends meet in a timely manner.

i know this is a season where we pile our living rooms with beautifully wrapped gifts, adorn our homes in spendor, throw and attend lavish parties, and come together as family.  i am hoping that we can all add giving back to our community to help everyone feel the magic of the season.