Things are just tough.

…lately.  Aren’t they?  Us as a nation (America), not necessarily for you specifically, and not really for us — ironically when most of America is suffering and jobless and hungry and wearing holey clothes, or whatever else my imagination conjures up when I watch too much national news coverage and believe it all….anyway, ironically, when things are going poorly for the masses, that’s when we’re finally fine.  No hurricanes this year, a job promotion, health, a good wireless Internet connection — what, that’s not important? — okay, then, food in the cupboard…  

But we went through many years of hard times.  One of those hard times was in the 90’s when All of America and Everybody in It was Very Rich except for us.  Yes, you know you were.  Everyone was.  Except us. Or so it seemed.  My imagination may have added just a smidge of exaggeration to that, too.

With the empathy that comes from knowing exactly what it’s like to be poor (or poorish), I ache and quake for all those going through such a hard time lately, with Wall Street falling to pieces and whatnot.  It’s tough when you open the bills folder, not knowing if you should pay Peter or Paul or rob Paul to pay Peter or however you need to do it to be sure they both get paid before they both call you and bug you because they’re not getting paid.  It’s hard when you want to go out but need to watch the gas, but really do need that bread or those shoes or …. and so you’re forced to make dozens of tiny decisions all day.  Money-affecting decisions.  Decisions that will make life bearable or tolerable or unbearable and intolerable.

I feel for you who are trying to put together a financial puzzle that is missing pieces.

And I’ve been in a terrible, mean, bad hurricane (Ivan), so I think of Texas and Louisiana many times a day and hope they are doing okay over there.  I know what they are going through, how very high the debris will pile up (“mountainous” to us sea-level folk), how humid and sticky and icky it is without electricity, how loud neighbor’s generators are, how the freezer starts to leak all over the kitchen tile, how long the gas lines can be, how weird it is to have armed National Guardsmen/women/people guarding your favorite beach from you and all “intruders,” how kind of yucky but kind of fun MREs (meals ready to eat – soldier food) can be, how many flat tires you get from the debris (ours, 5 in one week) and how long it takes to find a shop with a new tire.  I know how overwhelming it all is when the landscape of your town has changed drastically and the radio stations and television stations stay on the news 24/7 to keep you informed of Important Things like the blue tarp you need to pick up for roofs and insurance adjusters’ timeframes and …..oh, my. 

I feel for you, Texas, and Louisiana. 

I don’t even know what to say to you who are having a hard time right now, but I feel for you, which isn’t all that helpful.  Still, for what it’s worth, I feel for you and I’m praying for you and, oh, God bless America, too.