15 years ago

So, as my son takes a nap (which is soo precious), I decide to skip housecleaning for a few minutes and catch up on my writing. The last two days have been sooo busy. As I rack my brain for what to write next, God puts this on my heart.
When I was 11 years old, my mother lost her job. She worked as an RN in a nursing home, made very good money, and lost it all due to herr back. She tore a few discs in it, and the doctors told her she wouldnt be able to work again :( Now hearing those words and having four kids at home all under the age of 11 was absolutely rough. I started babysitting when I was eleven. I got a job over the summer working for one lady as a helper 4 days a week, and I worked for another lady Friday afternoons, and also did a few jobs on fri and sat nights. I literally had a full time job. I learned to save money, and I learned to work for what I wanted. At this young age, I learned what it was like to have responisibility, to work a lot, and to earn what you want. This set the presedense for how my life would be as an adult. MY mother also taught me how to save, the importance of not spending more than you make, and how to shop based off coupons and sales. She taught how to "steal from Adam to pay Paul," how to sacrifice from yourself to supply for your family, and how to budget. My fatehr instilled in me the importance of working hard, doing a job right, and following through with things.
Most 11 yr olds, need to know how to play outside, read books, etc. ost 11 year olds are extremely impressionable at this age. Childhoods for everyone are so important. Adults relive their childhoods everyday. I think God blessed my family with this unfortunate situation for our adult lives. If this never happened to my family there are a few things I would NOT have been able to do with my adult life. 1. I would NOT have been able to handle going into the restaurant industry. I chose a field of work that REQUIRES long hours, long days, nights and weekends. MY parents, my mother and my father, instilled in me working is what you need to do to support your family. 2. After I quit my job as a restaurant general manager, I went into just waitressing. Of course, the pay cut was huge. If not for my mother teaching me those things, I would not know how to run our household. I think I would literally overspend on everything I buy. 3. My faith would not be as strong as it is today. I saw what my family went through I aw firsthand and you know what, God turned their lives around, God healed my mother so she WAS able to work again. By the time I was in high school, my parents were both living comfortably and my family's struggle was over. Becuase of that I know that my husband, my son and I will NOT struggle for ever.
Growing up, I was not poor, in my adult life, my husband and I are not poor. But we are learnign the meaning of having faith, trusting God, and being patient. And I thank God that my family went through those struggles when I was 11. Because if not for those struggles, I would not be the adult I am today!