In Desperate Need

I am in the process of going through boxes and closets at my house in search of things I can donate, a last minute plea from a friend. I’m aiming to donate to a woman who is having a garage sale this weekend. She is holding a garage sale to try to make a little money.  She needs a little money to put food on the table for her family.  Some of us have even been there.  We have had family struggles, we hear about family struggles. Most struggles are due to severe illness, a job loss, the loss of a spouse, etc. This particular plea for help really chaps my hide.

You see, this woman is in desperate need in order to feed her children and grandchildren (whom she has custody of) when she should not be. This woman recently went through a divorce. She has court orders for spousal and child support, yet she has no money to feed her family. Her ex husband is 3 months behind on support payments. Her attorney has filed yet another contempt charge – this will be the 4th.  The judge gives her ex a deadline to pay, and miraculously, 12 hours before he is to go to jail for contempt, he appears with the money.  

This time she has already filed 3 contempt charges, and is now in the process of the 4th. She has been working but it doesn’t cover even the necessities. She took a loan against her car and last night they came and took her car. My heart breaks for her.

I have dealt with similar issues throughout my divorce proceedings, and even now to some extent. Although they were much worse in the early years, I was blessed with savings and investments that I could fall back on in these types of situations. My friend was not so lucky.

I just don’t understand our system. How do they continually get away with it? And I think even more than that, how do they keep doing it? I don’t understand how anyone can not do what is right. If I stretch my imagination and my mind really really far, I can come close to understanding how you can hate, dislike, or want to hurt your ex spouse. Okay, I can’t really, but I come closer to that than I will ever come to understanding when children are involved.

Do they not realize that the hurt and pain you inflict on your ex spouse, you also inflict onto your own children? If your ex can’t afford groceries, how do you think your children will eat?  

I am not sure all the details of this friend’s situation, and I don’t need to know all the details.  I know she is in need, so I will donate what I can scrape together for her. I continue to pray our judicial system improves to the point that these situations no longer arise.