Raising Hope in a Recession Economy

Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered a speech about his dream, and it rocked the nation. President Barack Obama delivered a speech about his plan, and it rocked the nation. Now it's time for H=hope.

I am a single mother of two with a fiancé, a job, a house, and Hope. I have been affected by the economy, yet I lead a good life because I use financial planning and work very hard to provide for my family. I just happen to be so poor that I make a church mouse look rich. I joke that my budget is so tight that, if plucked, it would make an audible sound. So I bend down each morning and admire two rows of perfect cornrow toes, kiss my two angels goodbye, and head off to work.

I am lucky that I make more than the standard eight or nine dollars an hour. Yet at the same time, it hurts. I am helping to support my family of four as well as a friend and her son, who have lost many jobs to being laid off. My fiancé has had several jobs exported in the IT crash. He is now an independent contractor, and it is nearly impossible to make any money. A DFACS caseworker informed me that I make 60 dollars a year too much to qualify for food stamps. I argued my case and she then admitted that their system was "down." I can provide more documentation and try again on a later day. On the way out the door, I spread the news so that other applicants could avoid wasting their time. Somewhere, there is a bitter irony - my visit was on April Fool's Day. I smiled, walked out the door, and left for work.

Each day I go to work brings pleasant memories and surprises. I share pictures of my darling 1-year-old daughter and 3-month-old son with my customers. Birth stories and advice changes hands almost as fast as I can provide customers their change and receipts. I have returned to work and am out of maternity leave time. Tax refunds have covered nearly three months of income-free living, but the money is now gone, and I need full-time hours and pay. Last year, I worked two full-time jobs and went to school. My recent C-section has me still recovering and has limited my ability to work until I am fully healed. I suffered excessive bleeding in January and visited the ER several times in February due to my asthma. By the time I was ready to work full-time at my main job, I was down to my last several dollars and a half tank of gas.

I work in a grocery store and I still see the pleasure in a day's work, even after 6 years of work at the same store; an attorney who is also a magician stopped by my deli cash register and made money disappear as he told funny jokes. Another wonderful man stopped by to welcome me back. His deep, rich voice and sincere eyes were heart-warming. I nearly cried as I realized just how lucky I am. Many people I know outside of work have either lost their houses or are about to. They are moving back with family and are seeking jobs.

I come home tired each day from nearly nine hours on my feet, but the two bright smiles on my kids' faces make up for any discomfort. I nurse my son as I'm silently thankful that my managers are kind enough to give me two 15-minute breaks so I can pump my milk and feed my son. The local WIC office staffers have loaned me a Bailey Nurture III pump that works far better than any other pump available.

Our friend, who helps watch the children when my fiancé works, has spotted several fliers from churches. She schedules us for visits to go pick up food. We have been visiting food pantries and I recently received neatly boxed and wrapped lunches as part of one church's support for poor workers. Several co-workers have asked me where they can get these meals. One of them declared, "It's not fair." Apparently, it's been said that I don't look poor enough to receive aid. The irony of it no longer shocks me; I started shopping at thrift stores when I was a teenager. My children will be raised to believe in themselves and realize the value in working hard. My son and daughter are being raised in one of the toughest economies; it is my hope that they will grow up to be examples of success in this new economy. It has been said that parents don't raise children; they raise hope.

Diligent saving and astute financial wizardry have paid off, and I am not alone. My great-great grandmother was a young widow who raised three children on her own in the great depression. She used a loophole in the law, before women had any real rights, and owned her house while she managed a profitable business. Another set of family members arrived here in America in the 1930s with nothing more than the clothes on their backs, and they are now financially healthy. I smile as I save up for the mortgage; hard times are still coming, and I have hope. I was homeless for several months before I bought the house, and I am proud of having "made it."

There are three things in life: the lessons we teach, the lessons we learn, and stories that we share. It is through the sharing of our stories that we learn and teach our lessons. So I hope that America has learned from Mr. King and President Obama - we need to move forward - we need to believe in ourselves and hope for the future, as this will allow us to rise above the recession economy and seize the American Dream, today.