In 2008, when the stock market crashed, my dad lost his business, something he had sunk everything into. He was suddenly left with a wife and five children to provide for and no means of doing so. We had some savings, but they didn’t last long. Because my dad didn’t have a college education, it was nearly impossible for him to find work. He used what skills he had to work odd jobs, scraping together what little earnings he could. He designed websites, sprayed weeds, and sold security systems door to door. There was almost nothing he wouldn’t do to provide for us.
This was the hardest time of my dad’s life, and my life too. He struggled for three years before finding steady and sufficient employment. He spent months away from home, moving all …show more content…
We lived off of food stamps and hand-me-downs, but the funny thing is, none of that really mattered. We all, especially my parents, felt the weight of our awful situation. However, we didn’t dwell on the negative. It was something we had to work at every day, and some days were better than others. While my dad was away, knocking doors, we invented silly traditions to keep him and ourselves motivated. We recorded inspirational scenes from movies and sent them to him. Every time he made a sale we treated each of ourselves to a glass of chocolate milk. My mom was amazing. She worked her own odd jobs, sewing peoples’ prom dresses, making clothing alterations, and babysitting. She took us to the park and the beach and did everything she could think of to keep us sheltered from the magnitude of our crisis. She made us feel like a normal, happy family. Our friends were also unimaginably kind and helpful. We frequently received anonymous gifts left at our doorstep from those who were aware of our circumstances. People left bags of oranges, desserts, and sometimes even envelopes full of cash. One Christmas we opened our door to a massive pile of bags and boxes full of presents for everyone in our family. I will never be able to fully express my gratitude for such selfless acts of kindness that gave us hope and relief during this
This was the hardest time of my dad’s life, and my life too. He struggled for three years before finding steady and sufficient employment. He spent months away from home, moving all …show more content…
We lived off of food stamps and hand-me-downs, but the funny thing is, none of that really mattered. We all, especially my parents, felt the weight of our awful situation. However, we didn’t dwell on the negative. It was something we had to work at every day, and some days were better than others. While my dad was away, knocking doors, we invented silly traditions to keep him and ourselves motivated. We recorded inspirational scenes from movies and sent them to him. Every time he made a sale we treated each of ourselves to a glass of chocolate milk. My mom was amazing. She worked her own odd jobs, sewing peoples’ prom dresses, making clothing alterations, and babysitting. She took us to the park and the beach and did everything she could think of to keep us sheltered from the magnitude of our crisis. She made us feel like a normal, happy family. Our friends were also unimaginably kind and helpful. We frequently received anonymous gifts left at our doorstep from those who were aware of our circumstances. People left bags of oranges, desserts, and sometimes even envelopes full of cash. One Christmas we opened our door to a massive pile of bags and boxes full of presents for everyone in our family. I will never be able to fully express my gratitude for such selfless acts of kindness that gave us hope and relief during this