Rainy Days

When we were much younger and still dating, the thoughts of saving for a rainy day never really crossed our minds. We spent money frivolously and just enjoyed being young. If there was a stereo or a new pair of shoes we (I) wanted, by golly, we got it. Thankfully, we have learned many lessons from our youthful days and last year really got serious about what would we do if we weren't around for the rainy days that our children would undoubtedly endure.

So we listened to Dave Ramsey and contacted one of his endorsed local providers. Met with him and started talking about the future we wanted to have, and what kind of future we wanted to ensure that our kids would have. Our financial guy gave us great advice and right away, we refinanced the house and ended up shaving off years from our mortgage and lowered our monthly payment! A win-win to say the least, but the best part of all was devising the plan to give us a little peace of mind when we will no longer be here.

The saying goes that the next generation should do better than the previous, and we are working every day to be certain that our kids will have what we did not. As a parent, it's one of my priorities to give our children the best opportunities in life. Certainly, we will expect them to also hard work and commit to their studies, but I do not for one second want to think of having them not being able to pursue their college goals or just having that possibility available to them.

Today, the skies may be clear, blue and beautiful, but not thinking of the rain that may come at any moment would be foolish. I have at least two reasons to get up and go to work every day. And if I don't get up on my own, those two little reasons will be sure to wake me up. If it's sunny outside, I'll keep the umbrella at home. But even a hint of rain gets me thinking of grabbing the umbrella. Big or small, it will be with me to keep the rain from dampening my drive to be and do better for my family.