A CUP OF COMFORT® for Single Mothers by Edited by Colleen Sell;

Author:Edited by Colleen Sell;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: epub, ebook
Publisher: F+W Publications, Inc.
Published: 2008-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

No One Makes It Alone

A while back I attended a retirement dinner for my old friend, Lou Monticello. Highly regarded in my hometown, Lou seems to know everyone and is involved in a variety of community affairs. I rarely see him, but when I do, well, he's one of those folks you can run into after years of not seeing each other and the fondness remains the same. I like to think the feeling is mutual.

I first met Lou many years ago when he was a loan officer at the neighborhood bank. At the time, I was thirty and still smarting from the fresh wounds of a broken marriage. Quite literally, I barged into Lou's office with my two preschoolers in tow and the baby tucked into a backpack carrier. Newly self-employed (a career choice I was determined to maintain, so I could be a mother first and a part-time real estate agent second), I had no assets to speak of, very little income, and no credit history of my own. With child-support payments few and far between and mortgage rates hovering around 18 percent (not exactly the best time to launch a real estate career), I was barely able to feed my little family and struggled each month just to pay the rent.

On top of that, much like my turbulent marriage, our little television decided to breakdown, too. Of course, I realize a broken TV is not the end of the world, but it was definitely not a good thing when the antics of Big Bird, Elmo, and Cookie Monster entertained and enlightened my girls, affording some relief time to their weary mommy.

Lou sat behind his desk in a small cubicle, his kind face and gentle voice easing my fragile nerves. Although I knew full well the absurdity of anyone loaning me any amount of money for anything, I was determined to borrow enough money to replace the TV set. I must have looked resolute, or perhaps desperate enough to convince him I was worth the risk. Lou somehow saw a spark of promise in me that I could hardly see for myself.

With a twinkle in his eye and my signature, Lou gave me my very first bank loan: a thousand dollars! It might as well have been a million. It was a moment of deep satisfaction, early proof that maybe I could wrangle my way into the real world and survive. Elated, I went out and purchased a Curtis-Mathes television. Set in a walnut case on a swivel base, it even had remote control and options for video-game playing, something quite new back then. It was a magnificent piece of furniture, and the TV set lasted nearly as long as my friendship has with Lou.

Being a single mom can seem like the loneliest, most challenging situation in the world — at least it often felt that way to me. The failure of my marriage pretty much crushed my spirit. But inspiration and hope can come from the most unexpected places.

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