Here Comes the Weekend!

I love / hate Fridays! I love it because I get to work the day shift and have the night off with my family. I hate it because it starts the most grueling part of my work week. I work all weekend. Weekends aren't great as a server because it brings out the "rookies". People that usually don't go out to eat, therefore the tips aren't that great and a lot of them tend to be idiots.

I had several customers that came in today asking for my table and saying that they had read the blog about Zach. I like it that even though I am not quite reaching the masses, I seem to reaching "someone".

Went to work today, my general manager who has been out the past two weeks after having surgery was back and the phone rang. The hostess said the call was for me. I answered the phone and it was a guy from Capitol One Finance about my oldest son's car loan. I co signed a loan for his car (BIG MISTAKE) and when he is even one week late the phone calls start coming in rapid fire.

They have never called me at work though and I was pretty ticked off that they would do that. My manager was standing beside me when I started my tirade...."He is 22 days late, not two months, not three months. He is making payments to you , paying late charges and giving you even more money, yet you call me when I am at work and want to harass me. My manager, who knows what kind of situation we are currently in just mouthed "give me the phone".

He spoke to this man for at LEAST five minutes. He told them many things...I don't think I will ever have a phone call at work from them again. It touched my heart that he would go to bat for me.

I don't need anyone telling me the situation I am in...I am more aware of it than ANYONE.

I love my oldest son and wanted to help him with a car. He has been late , he almost always is...but he pays them. He is only ruining MY credit and to be honest, I probably don't even need his help on that one!

What amazes me is how they obviously have me on speed dial and no qualms about pestering me to death about his account.

My husband says it is because they always finally get a payment from TJ and that they have so many accounts in default that they have to pester the people that DO pay them.

I SAY: Leave me the hell alone. You already know that it is my 23 year old son, who has this car and that if I could make the payment for him I would. I can't...so I let him drag my credit score down month by month and learn what calls NOT to answer on my phone.

I guess it could be worse, he could be sitting in a crack house or not making payments at all. He is just a kid that doesn't realize the ramifications of his actions.

I have a LOT bigger fish to fry at this point in my life. Capitol One isn't one of them.

I have two younger kids at home that I hope never know how desperate we are right now. We have a nice house and a roof over their heads. They have everything that they need, and the ONE thing they don't need to know about is that we are struggling.

We will make it and we will be OK. The blood thirsty creditors can do all they want... they are getting their money with a big bonus of a late charge and a mark up on the finance charge. The only one that will suffer is me. I can take that hit, what I can't take is them continually calling me and reminding me of my situation and circumstance.

I think that my manager took care of that today (I owe him a big hug) and just think about the millions and millions of people that are currently defaulting on every debt they have incurred. Leave the people that ARE paying alone.

I am in a bad place in my life. I am also married to a wonderful man that is doing EVERY THING in his power to move forward from a bad card dealt. I could be married to man that doesn't care or one that walks away from responsibility .

We will make it out of this tough time, like we have made it out of tough times before.

Our kids will always be happy, always have what they need.

I have faith that our President will find a way to make the system equal for all of us...the rich and the poor (I feel we are somewhere in the middle).

I will go into work tomorrow with a smile on my face and the resolve that I will do whatever it takes... I am a citizen of the United States of America and this country...is the best place to be.

We are struggling now...we will be taken care of not only by our own resolve, but by the grace of God and the fact that even though we are suffering now, there are millions of others worse off than us ... and that in the grand scheme of things we are only a "Blip" on the screen of what is really happening all across this planet.

As I think of this all, I think of myself as a lucky person.

It could be so much worse. We could be people that can't read or write, we could be people that live under a bridge. We could be people that do not know how to work the system. We could be people that feel lost in the shuffle. We could be the people that I pass, that have a card board sign begging for money.

I am TRULY a blessed person. I strive to remember that every morning when I wake up. I have a husband that is determined to find a job, a family that has slept well in their own beds.

If not for the grace of God... I could be a child wandering the streets , not knowing who I really belonged to or have a person to turn to.

I was dealt a lucky hand. I have family that loves me, I have an education and a way to dig myself out of this hole.

Do you realize how many millions of people feel desolate and desperate at this exact same time? They do not even have a home to go , or a place they feel they can turn to.

These people are under THAT bridge...they are covering themselves with newspaper, they are hoping ...JUST LIKE ME...tomorrow will be a better day.

My prayer goes out to these people....they are as human and as real as I am.

I want to make a difference in their lives....I just have to straighten out my own affairs before I do. But mark my words..."I WILL". SOME DAY".

Am I too "bleeding heart" or am I just the only person that sees the pain, discrimination and obvious neglect that has led to an uprising and an uproar? I know that if I was an African American (we used to call them coloreds) I would stand up and say: "I am an American and I need to be counted".

I wear my heart on my sleeve and my compassion runs too deep, but I know that my ideals are the ones that will make a difference.

I would rather be known as an idiot than to be a person that wasn't heard from at all.