Family Memoir

Family Memoir : A Jobless Caregiver

The sober statement that we need to have a family meeting foreshadowed bad news for several reasons . First , we were not the type of family that had formal sit-down meetings . We were casual , informal and the very thought that news needed to be communicated around a table suggested that something bad or terrible had occurred . Second , the tone with which the news was delivered was unusually stern and unsettling Smiles were the rule in our house , laughter was contagious , and the look on my father 's face

as he demanded the meeting was altogether foreign and fraught with trepidation . If my father was worried then there was cause for worry among all of our family members . Finally , as we sat down to the meeting , my father carried with him a pen and a small notebook . He opened the notebook as we took our places at the table and he clicked the pen to begin writing . I glanced at the notebook and saw that he had written the words monthly budget ' He set down the pen and said to open the family meeting that

have lost my job and until I can find a new job we have to make some changes around here ' I was absolutely shocked . We had never imagined my father without a job , we had always taken our comfortable standard of living for granted and then we were suddenly faced with the prospect of not having our basic needs met . My...