A dear old family friend passed away this week in Indiana. My parents became friends with Max and his wife back in the mid-1950s. They met through church and soon their friendship led to family activities between our families.
Thoughts of those days caused me to remember how my parents lived back then. They were married in 1949 before my dad finished his degree from Purdue and right after Mom had hers. Dad was delayed due to 2 years in the South Pacific during WWII.
I came along in 1951 and Mom left her career in bacteriology at Upjohns in Kalamazoo. They relocated when Dad got a job at a steel mill in Fort Wayne and by 1957 they had 4 children. We lived in a rental house on the south side of town. Four children in 3 bedrooms in an ideal neighborhood about 8 blocks from the elementary school.
In late 1960 after living on one income and saving as much as they could while still giving in the offering plate at church, my parents bought their first house on the same block. Then they discovered that child #5 was coming.
I was, for the most part, unaware of struggles with $. I know we were given hand-me-downs from family and friends. Being the oldest girl, I wore a few things brand new and handed them on to my three sisters. Our brother was the lucky one - very few used clothes for him.
My point is they had several children, rented apartments and a house for over 10 years of their married life before they had saved enough to purchase their first house. They worked together as a team to reach their goal. Mom gardened and sewed or knit for herself and us. She was handy with a needle and thread. She darned socks and made repairs as things wore out. Dad enjoyed his beer but they rarely ate out.
What goal have you set for yourself? Do you have the conviction and determination to work toward it? Will your goal take you 10 years or 10 months or a lifetime?
Live with a plan and enjoy the journey.
'til later
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