Glass Half Empty...Glass Half Full II

"Have you heard about Bill? He just got laid off!"
"Yeah, another victim of this awful economy. It's terrible, isn't it?"
"Yeah, and they say it's just going to get worse."
Sometime in the last few months or so we've either been part of a conversation like that or overheard a similar one. Like some sadistic fascination for a twisted horror movie, I can't seem to pull myself away from the daily hammering of stock market lows, job cut stats and my favorite station's "Earmark of the Day" segment. My husband refuses to even sit down for the evening news let alone do what I do and have it with my oatmeal and coffee.
People are rioting in the streets. There's "Tea Parties" being reported in some states. People are suffering ulcers and heart attacks. The world is in chaos. Being a Christian, I can easily point out that these are the last days before the return of Jesus, and people should expect what they see. After all, for those who enjoy a good read, the Bible will tell you all about it, down to the last detail.

But I'm also a realist. I'm not complicated, and I like to stay that way. So the practical side of me remembers what my gramma would do when things looked bleak. (No, singing wasn't it.)
She'd tell me to look for the silver lining. Nowadays, you have to really focus to see it, but it's always there. It never really goes away. And the more you look, the bigger and wider that silver lining appears to be.
All kinds of things are happening out there---positive things---that wouldn't have happened if negative things hadn't happened first.
Somewhere there's a man who's lost his job, but his wife with her nursing background picks up a position at a local hospital. Suddenly Dad's around the house more. He begins to see and appreciate everything his wife's been doing to make their house a home. He spends time with his kids and as a result he isn't the stranger that many dads become over time. Now he has time to do those small repairs she's been asking about for months. Maybe he takes a class or two, something he's wanted to do for years.
A couple hundred miles away, another man looses his job. No longer able to pay the rent, he and his wife are forced to move in with the man's brother. It's tight, but temporary. Two women share the workload, but they also share the daily company. And when times are tough, they share support, kind words and encouragment. They aren't alone in this.
Families all over the place are combining to share rent and bills and ease the burden of making ends meet. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily. Families that love each other can cheerfully share a common environment.
But what about the not-so-loving families that are forced to live together to survive? In that case, extra effort is needed to get along and co-exist peacefully. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily. It forces people to grow up, curb inclinations, suppress negative reactions and gain control...something they may have never had to do. An exercise in "get-a-grip and grow up."
And then there's the kids. Suddenly there's no money for the extras. The birthdays and maybe even Christmas. There's no more designer jeans and the latest makeup, jewelry or skateboard. Maybe there's not even enough room in the budget for that weekly trip to the pizza shop or the movies. Is that a bad thing? Not really.
For all the kids out there that are already overindulged, it's actually a good thing. Our kids need to learn new concepts like eating at home instead of at Burger King with a passle of friends. They need to find out what it's like to invite friends over for a rented movie instead of going to the matinee at the local theatre. They need to inhale the air of a thrift shop as they search the racks for clothes that will fit. And they need to learn to shop for bargains and use patience and wait for sales.
But more, the ones old enough to understand money and all it's ramifications need to sit down at a table with mom and dad and have the word "budget" explained to them. They need to know how much the rent, the ultilities and the bills are. Yours may be an exception, but most young teens have never had to consider a budget. They have no clue how much Dad and Mom spend to keep their world spinning.
But now that we're out of work and out of money, it's the most beautiful and appropriate time to sit our kids down and explain the facts of financial life to them. It's a great time to take them to the grocery store and make them aware of the cost of food and make them figure out where the better deals are. For those kids who have never held a job, perhaps now is the time to introduce them to the world of work. Even if it's babysitting after school. Then make them contribute to the budget.
Can you see that silver lining?
In these dreadful times, great things are happening. People are drawing together for comfort and support. Families are hunkering down and gathering in tight. They're holding hands more than they ever did. Kneeling to pray more often, and feeling more acutely grateful for living in America, even with all it's flaws. They are reinventing themselves, learning new skills and trades and sometimes finding new meaning in life because they've been forced to slow down. People who've taken their jobs for granted are feeling a new sense of thankfulness that they can still get up, get in their cars, and head for that job. In hundreds of small towns and big cities, people are finding new joy in simpler pastimes that cost little to nothing, and people are learning to make their own bread, wash their own car, sew their own clothes. They're looking for ways to save money instead of spend it and becoming more self-sufficient in the process. Are these things bad?
Not necessarily. They're all part of the silver lining.