Reflecting back, a cheep car and a random website.

NOT wanting to try to outdo COPE, but evidently a lot of us struggle, grew up with a dad that was an Alcoholic, and a mother who worked double shifts and 30 and forty days without a day off to keep a roof over our head, i went to work at 15, and bought all my school closes and suit for prom, class ring and meals on away games to play basketball, graduated at 18, went to work for Firestone as assist. manager, got married at 21, and owner sold out to a bank so the Firestone was torn down for a bank, so no job, wife was pregnant, had a TANK, (69 MERCURY MONTCLAIR ) and a 76 dodge dart that the brakes went bad, drove 3 weeks metal on metal ,no income, wife was a teachers aide , that winter it snowed during kids Christmas vacation, and they only had school 1 1/2 day from Jan. 1st until last day of FEB. ,so my wife only got paid for days she worked, and it had been an cold winter, had a $300 electric bill and a 175 dollar trailer payment, i was drawing $110 a week unemployment, so how we scrimped thru, i have no ideal, i finally got a job at AT&t making $14.50 an hour to start, my wife got a masters degree in finance, got a job as Branch manager at a bank, everything seemed rosey, then years later our son that graduated high school as an honor student, played in band,played football, basketball, and all around great kid went away to college, 2nd semester ,1st year , he flunked out, A 9 year run doing drugs from pain pills,cocaine,morphine ,to meth, after losing his house anf truck , a 31 day in detox and 11 month ,29 day jail sentence , he finally saw the light, got married to the nurse that had brought him off the hard drugs, has been clean now 11 years and just celebrated his 10th wedding anniversary. L said all this, to make a point, sometimes life throws you a curve ball, sometimes a fast ball, but every now and again if you wait on the right pitch you can get a home run if you will hang in there and not wait for a walk to 1st base. COPE, i'm talking experience for a 65 year old, don't think you are the only one out there fighting this thing called life, we all face our ups and downs,so do your best, thats all anyone can expect !