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Over the next 18 months, there was a lot of stress. Before going to bed each night, I would check on Mom. Usually she was in bed, crying. Many a night I tried to comfort her as she repeated over and over again, “Oh, Mike, what are we going to do?” I did not have an answer, except to insist I would quit high school, and work my summer job year round. Mom did not want me to do that, and I had no way to stop her tears. I felt helpless. By the time I was sixteen, furniture had been sold to raise money to eat. The sheriff knocked on the door one day, gave us a box of trash bags, and said “Today is the day. You folks need to be out by 4 pm.” Mom was able to persuade the nuns to let her and the eight kids stay in a little rundown cottage they owned. It was quite small, but we made do. At night, the unheated living room was the only quiet place to do schoolwork. I was quite busy, working part time to pay for tuition, clothes, and transportation. Proud of my hard work, I still felt angry and frustrated over money problems and a system that didn’t seem to care about people. But I was determined not to give up, and went to college on academic scholarship, as I saw this as the only way to get a fresh start. I found out thinking things out works. I don’t feel helpless anymore. I have always believed “Knowledge is Power”. Today I believe that more than ever. If you are angry, frustrated, and untrusting, I understand. If financial stress is tearing your family apart, I understand. If you find yourself consumed by financial worries, I understand. Most of the problems in consumer finance are rooted in a lack of planning. We need to be better educated on our choices. We need to make the right choices today to create a bright financial future tomorrow. © 2002 Mike Norris Law | All Rights Reserved |
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