Priorities

My wife and I were leaving the grocery store recently, just in time to see a mom she knows drive off in her sparkling new BMW. "They also have a huge SUV", she commented. Sitting in our 100,000 mile Camry, there was a bit of a contrast. "Good thing we've renounced materialism", I replied. She laughed: "What's to renounce?"

She does have a point. We've lived in the same house since 1984, my car is 20+ years old, and it's a special occasion when the family dines out. You could say we're "thrifty"; alright, cheap; but actually that's not true. We have had a couple of ambitious priorities for our family - priorities hard to achieve these days - and these required a few sacrifices.

Our first priority was for her to be home with the kids; full-time initially and at the end of the school day for the last few years by working part-time. A quality education was our second priority. This was difficult because priority #1 put a home in a good school district out of reach. Private school was the only solution, and an expensive solution it is. But it's really been worth it for the kids.

The timing of this layoff is not great but it could have been a lot worse had it come when the kids were younger. We managed to get my older son through high school and my younger son through eighth grade. All under the care of their Mom. That's an achievement we're really proud of.

Our accomplishments aren't in our driveway, gleaming in the sun; in fact, few can see them. But look carefully at our kids. They shine.

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