Help Joan and Roger Get Back on the Road

My name is Joan. I am 80, retired, and in good health. I have been married to Roger (my 2nd husband) for 41 years. We are thankful for our blessings, our friends, and community. We always managed through difficult times, but right now our finances are in chaos. Although I love to help, I don’t like to ask for it. I am doing this at the suggestion of a friend.

In our 40s, we were careless about money, and five years after we married, my son was killed in a car accident. Anyone who knows about grief will understand. It’s not something you ‘get over’ but ‘get through’. Monday, December 9 marked 36 years since he was killed. His 20th birthday was 3 months before, on September 9. Each year at this time, I experience some days of feeling sadness and fragility.

Five or six weeks ago, our truck was repossessed. We are most fortunate to live in an area that is within walking distance of grocery stores, pharmacies, and Dollar Stores, so we walk to where we want to go. At the beginning of the month, I walked to return a book to the library and pay our utilities. The round trip was about 4 miles. Roger had a doctor's appointment, and he walked 4 miles there and back. He left at 7:18 and was back at 10:30. He will need to repeat the process next week.

I am originally from Scotland, and this is the first time in the US I have had the luxury of the walking alternative. There is no public transportation available. We belong to the Unity Church of Sebring, Florida, and each Sunday we are picked up in the morning and delivered back to our home in the afternoon. Roger and I are expecting to begin mowing lawns at the park and weeding. That will help financially but that does not start until after the New Year.

We saw a 2016 dark blue Kia Rio on Saturday that would be just right for us and our two rescue dogs, Bob, a one-eyed Miniature Pinscher, and his friend Marley, a Miniature Schnauzer mix. The car dealership is willing to finance us (which is a real miracle), but we need to have a down payment and pay for licensing, tags, and insurance, etc. We would be thrilled if we could raise $2000. Thank you for reading this. I hope this Holiday Season brings Love, Peace, and Joy to all.