I met an awesome and unconventional lady at church a couple of years ago. She seemed to have walls built all around her, but somehow I got to know her, and we became friends. She has two sons who she loves fiercely. The more I got to know her, I realized that everything she did, she did fiercely. In October of last year she married the love of her life, Michael. I met him several times at church as well, and he completely adored Brittany. They both worked hard, long hours at a pool supply store to take care of their family. Not long after their wedding, Brittany’s youngest son was hospitalized for 10 days and has had to be on a special diet ever since. Around the same time Brittany’s oldest son decided he wanted to be homeschooled. In my 20 years of homeschooling I’ve never witnessed a mother work so hard to prepare, juggle, and finagle her own schedule, finances, and scramble for resources to be able to give something to her son that he felt he needed. She and Michael staggered their shifts, she bargain shopped for curriculum, and she joined the homeschooling co-op that I help run and gave herself to it 100%. Not long after she joined, she had a medical procedure that left her severely injured. She went from working full-time at the pool supply store to not being able to drive a vehicle and her doctor telling her she needed to go on permanent disability. Just like that, they went from making it with two incomes to one income, and Michael  went from being a newly-wed husband to a care-giver. 

I know that 2020 has been hard on all of us, but when I think of the unexpected list of horrors my friend has been through in the past year, my mind is at a loss as to how to help. The whole situation feels too big and too ongoing to be able to sufficiently make a difference. Last week, after working long hours, taking care of Brittany and the boys, making sure she had her medicine and food and her sons were fed and taken care of, shortly after sitting on their couch and doing the family’s laundry, Michael had a horrible accident and passed away, leaving a completely heart-broken and devastated family. I know that hopefully, eventually there will be life insurance granted, but I also know that due to his unexpected passing and her medical injury, they’ve accrued more debt than they ever could have expected in the past year. She and her son have special dietary needs, they went from two incomes to one to none, and she will never be able to hold down a job again. In my mind, no amount of money would be too large to help her (ok, maybe Some amount..) as I know she’s going to basically need help for the rest of her life. I know that this was really long, but if you are able and have it in your heart to help someone, I would just love to show her some love and give her some hope and even if just for a moment, take some of the financial stress off of her plate so that she can take the time she needs to grieve the loss of her best friend and be there for her sons.