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His company had downsized. He\u2019d lost his job. And with two kids in school, a mortgage, and his wife Clare working part-time at a dental office, they were drowning. Bills were piling up. The electricity had almost been shut off. They were eating rice and canned soup for dinner.<\/p>\n
When he asked for help, his voice cracked.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, I hate to ask, but could you help us for a little while, just until I find something steady?\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course I said yes. What kind of mother wouldn\u2019t?<\/p>\n
My husband had passed away two years before that. He left me his pension and some savings. It wasn\u2019t a fortune, but we\u2019d always lived simply. We didn\u2019t take expensive vacations or buy new cars every few years. We believed in paying off what we owed and putting a little aside for emergencies.<\/p>\n
So when Michael needed help, I had it to give.<\/p>\n
That first transfer felt good. It felt like I was doing something that mattered. Like even though my husband was gone and my body was slowing down and my house felt too big and too quiet, I still had value. I could still protect my child.<\/p>\n