Aidpage

One more thing--it seems that there are intermittent postings from people who are looking to capitalize on other people's misfortune.  I refer in particular to one person from Africa who is repenting having engaged in internet fraud schemes and asking help in getting started again.  I wish I weren't such a skeptic, but I am.  I'm sure you all get emails every day from persons who promise large sums of money for help in getting inheritances freed up from banks, etc.  Sometimes these people use names similar to your own.  All of them say that they got your name from someone else and heard that you are someone compassionate or willing to help.

Please don't fall for these scams--you know the old saying, "If it sounds too good to be true, it is!"  I've done alot of research and writing about these frauds--and some of the nicest people in the world have ended up being bilked out of thousands and thousands of dollars.  Some have even lost their lives in the process. 

Don't waste your time buying lottery tickets.  Don't pay fees to websites that promise to put you in touch with benevolent millionaires.  Please, everyone, be careful out there.  We're all in situations in which we are vulnerable, scared and tired--and that makes us such easy targets.

Caroline

I just joined this group yesterday, on a day when I felt like I had reached the end of my rope and the end of my world--but reading over everyone else's stories, I feel as if I had no right complaining.  It breaks my heart to see how much some people must endure, and I wish I were on the other end of the spectrum and able to help everyone out a little bit.

The truth is, folks, there are no benevolent millionaires out there who are going to help us bail out of our messy lives--but a counselor once told me that no matter how bad it gets, something always comes through for us in the end.  Maybe it's a forgotten refund for overpaying insurance, or a thoughtful check from a friend who wants to help, or maybe it's an unexpected job offer.  Maybe, just maybe, each of us has a marketable skill that suddenly comes to mind, just in time to ward off the wolf at the door.

I've been through some bad situations in my life--nothing as bad as this, but still, darned close--and I've seen that the above really IS true.  Something has a way of happening at the last minute.  Perhaps it's God.  Perhaps it's the strength of our own human spirit that suddenly leaps into action, fueled by adrenalin.

Of course, the jury is still out on my own situation--and it remains to be seen what miracle is going to take place to get me and the children out of this jam we're in.  My ex husband called this morning for the first time in weeks and said something about meeting tonight--I know it's probably  just to talk about money and what to do about filing taxes before April 15th, but in my heart of heart, I am hoping he's had enough time to reconsider reconciliation.

Right now, today, I need your thoughts, your prayers, your guidance.  I don't want to go meet him with fear or anger in my heart--that will only drive me to say things that are guaranteed to put him off.  Nor do I want to go meet him in a la-dee-dah mode, as if saying, "Everything's FINE without you," because that isn't the truth either.

Sometimes couples separate because the marriage truly isn't meant to be.  Other times, a separation can be a means by which they calm down, re-evaluate the situation, see what they are missing, and make a vow to try again. 

Any words of advice or help for me today as I count the hours til our meeting?  I'm a wreck!  And I swear, if I ever win a lottery or publish that novel I never seem to finish, I'll log on and personally come to the rescue of as many of you as I can--because it's in giving that we ultimately receive, isn't it?