Wants Versus Needs

I got a great reminder yesterday from my husband in the form of my own words.

Doesn't it suck just a little when that happens?

We are in the process of declaring bankruptcy since we lost a lawsuit. I'll just take a little timeout to say how lame I think it is that anyone can sue you, even when said person is lying. And you lose when you cannot afford to defend yourself. To avoid payment all you have to do is file for bankruptcy. What a stupid system! But I'm glad we don't have to pay a company that owes us money $20,000 so I'll take the stupid system.

In order to file for bankruptcy, we need to be current on our mortgage. We are 3 months behind, which isn't too bad all things considered. We decided to sell my husband's truck since he doesn't really need it. We listed the truck for $7,800 and knew that it needed to sell fast, as in three weeks fast. We got an offer for $6,800 and I was bummed. But James wanted to take it.

The $6,800 would get us current on our mortgage and we would have some leftover to put into savings. That account we drained to pay our attorney and sadly has zero dollars in it. But I wanted what our truck was worth. And then James said this to me....

"You always say that God provides for our needs not our wants and that we need to understand the difference. Well the $6,800 will provide for our needs."

Damn that man is smart. He knew exactly what to say to get me on board. So last night we sold the truck and everything is on track so we can file. And my savings account is a few thousand dollars richer. And I'm not upset that we didn't get what we wanted, because we have what we need.

Pour Your Heart Out-I Want to Punch my Father in law

This had been on my mind for a long time, but I want to punch my father in law in the face. Hard. Over and over again. I'm pretty sure my urge to hit the man that helped bring my husband into the world makes me a bad person but it's there all the same.

So before you judge me, I'll give you a little background on the situation.
My husband and his father had a business together. My father in law was a not so silent - silent partner. The business went south during our awesome economy and we had to close the business. James got another job but it was entry level. Instead of being proud of his son for getting a job, my FIL made snide comments about the job being beneath him.

Now it's been a year and James has another new job after being laid off from the "not good enough job". This new job has tons of potential down the road, but James will have to pay his dues for a year or so. We are both fine with this pay cut and job position since

1. The economy still sucks and we are grateful for any job
2. There is potential
3. The job pays our bills, it doesn't pay anything else but it does pay the bills.

Now you would think that would be good enough for my FIL, but NO! He keeps making the snide comments. He thinks this job is a mistake and the James shouldn't have taken it. Instead he should be looking for something that is "respectable." And that I should get a job since I let James take a job that doesn't pay enough. (Because raising three kids and having a blog that brings in income isn't work) I guess supporting your family and paying the bills isn't respectable. You need lots of money for the extras in life to have value. Stupid me. Even dumber me for thinking that what I do at home has value.

Thankfully, James is just ignoring his dad and taking the high road. I'm trying, but I really want to knock him out some sense into him. As a mom of a little boy that will one day grow up and be a man, I'm so proud of the role model my husband is for him. Thomas gets to see first hand what it looks like when a man puts his pride aside and puts him family first. In my opinion, my husband is doing exactly what a man should do, he's supporting his family.

And here is the kicker-James loves his new job! He is happier at work than I've seen him in years. And I cannot figure out why his father cannot be proud of him like I am. Why can't he see past a job title and salary and see that James is happy? Why isn't James good enough for him just as he is? And about a million other questions that I'll never be able to get answered.
So that's it in a nutshell, I want to punch my FIL in the face. But I won't, I promise.