The Tragedies of Life During a Bad Economy

Today, in this economy many people are going thru hard times, including ourselves. Our year started off really bad and has continued to go downhill at a fast pace. In January, we were still contracted to a trucking company that delivered products to GMC and many other car and truck makers. Once GMC started going down, the need for product did too and soon there was no work for the truck drivers at our company. Many truck drivers lost their jobs.

In February 27th 2009, I discovered a mass in my neck and was scheduled for surgery March 27th. March 3rd we lost our beloved pet-Branegan a beautiful and loving Boxer. March 27, I had a total thyroidectomy and a few days later I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. June didn't start off any better and June 24th we lost our business due to lack of work and our big truck was repossessed. They sold the truck for 40,000 dollars, 28,000 less than what is owed on it, and now we are in debt 28,000 dollars for the truck which we can't pay.

My husband, finally started a new job thinking things would be better but that was not the case, the company he hired on with hauls fuel and thinking they would be paying good we thought we were in the clear. But just when you think its going good, bad things happen. He got his first check and realized they were only paying him 9.75 and hour for hourly work and 25% of the load, should be decent right? They fail to pay the demmurge they owe him and the hourly work he does. Every payday is a fight to get whats rightfully owed to him. He gets up on Monday morning goes and preloads a load and doesn't get paid a dime for 10 hours work and then delivers it the next day which pays him 25% of the load, most of the time 125.00 dollars. It repeats itself all week. This company is totally frustrating.

We have looked all over Houston and even filled out an application for Exxon Mobile, but weeks and weeks have gone by and we have not heard anything from them. My husband is a very experienced truck driver, and i myself has been trucking for 13 years, but we can't even seem to find a decent paying team job.

September 11th 2009, my beloved pet-Merlin an Australian Shepherd had to be put to sleep at the age of 11 1/2 years old. How much more can we take? Today, we have realized that by January 2010 we probably won't have our house anymore, we can't pay the property taxes or the homeowners insurance and its getting harder and harder to pay the mortgage.

Life is a daily struggle, the only thing that keeps us going is our faith in god and my sister and my neighbors. My sister has been my rock thru all of this, loaning us money to get us thru, listening when i needed an ear to complain about how bad i think my life is at the moment. And my neighbors, one of which is my pastor. They have helped us out by letting us cut their lawns to make extra money and by giving us groceries when times get really tight.

I pray that when the year 2010 rolls around that we are dealt a better set of cards.