In honor of Mother’s Day this coming Sunday, I decided to write about how my mom overcame financial adversity.

I’ll begin this story shortly after my mom and dad divorced. We definitely weren’t a wealthy family before, but suddenly my mom was taking care of my older sister and me financially, primarily on her own. That’s not to take anything away from my dad, but a carpenter in a small town is a tough career to consistently make good money with.

The tough times started with my mom resorting to welfare for 2 months while she struggled to find a job. She knew this wasn’t going to cut it though. She vowed that to take care of her kids she would never put herself in that position again.

Eventually she found a job at an electronics and music store, but unfortunately it was barely above minimum wage. Knowing it was better than welfare, she negotiated a slightly better wage with a promise of a review in a few months.

She worked hard at that job, taking full advantage of the opportunity she was presented with. In time her pay increased and she moved up within the company. She obviously impressed the company owner with her work ethics and intelligence. Continue reading →