Nice one Linda, as one who never knew his father, and was not a welcomed child, I always have envied those who had a 'family' in the true sense of the word. It must have been nice to have had that someone around who could pick you up - physically and emotionally, when you were down. I am sure many people do not appreciate what they have got in this regard. Never having had it - I am the worst one to judge, I suppose, but I must confess it would be nice in my advancing years to have something like this to reflect on. Then again they do say that 'Nostalgia is not what it once was'? Not being able to relate to it - doesn't mean one can't appreciate it. Cheers, Norm

Hi Gary, I am sure you are well aware of the old saw that banks are those institutions that offer you an umbrella when the sun is shining, and immediately demand its return when it starts to rain. As I stress in my recent book, Banks are NOT your friends, they are financial, profit-making businesses. As an Adman of too many years standing I have always been offended by the promotion of the places as 'Listening' 'Caring' - etc., etc. Total fantasy - and probably amongst the worst lying ad campaigns ever! Banks are in business to make money from your money, sweat and tears. People should be aware of this before they undertake any loan arrangements - short or long-term. As you can tell, I too, have a poor (but probably realistic) view of banks. All the best, Norm

It choked me up too Linda. My husband is so determined to put our kids through college that he sometimes forgets were even here. The kids don't want to go they want to enjoy there life now. This is hard when all we want is the best for them because we never had it.

College! We should all experience it if for nothing else to enjoy the parties!!! I will always look back on college with very fond memories! Now, as far as a job when I got out, that was a joke!!! I graduated from Central Michigan University with a degree (BS in Education) for teaching Physical Education K-12 back in 1971! Well, for each interview I went to, there were about 50 other applicants for the same job! So, after getting beat up and NOT finding a job, I decided to go work for my natural gas company! Another joke, since I was a white male, there was a thing in place in the 80's that promoted minorities and women even though I had much more seniority and experience for the position I wanted! After the second time being passed up for a promotion due to the above, I simply told them to stick their job where the sun don't shine and left!!! At this point in my life, my decision was that if I were to make it in the reverse discrimination world, I would have to go in sales where my race or gender didn't matter, just my own performance! This worked for a while, but a very competitive world out there and a lot of brown nosing which was not in my character. I worked in this arena from 1985-1990 which was the time I first saw MLM!!! In 1990, I joined Nu-Skin based on an ad I saw the stated this: "Make $600,000.00 per year and drive a Mercedes!!! WOW, sounded great! I worked my tail off only to watch the Attorney General shut them down in Michigan and I lost 31 of my 33 front line distributors! OUCH!!! Determined NOT to give up, I realized that this was the industry for me, I just had to find the right company to promote! Don't let people steal your dreams, especially your own family who keep telling you to get a REAL JOB instead of spinning your wheels, so to speak! I am so thankful I stuck with it ignoring people around me who all said the same thing! You need a REAL JOB!!! Well, I finally have found my long term home after 15+ years in the industry, Eniva and the Vibe 101 ALL IN ONE Health Drink! My total focus has been nutrition over the years and I knew if I was patient, it would hit me like as ton of bricks one day!!! I have never been so inspired about any company in my entire career! I won't go into detail why, but if you're curious, simply send me an email for more info. My whole point here is don't give up on your dreams and college is NO guarantee of a JOB and there is NO JOB security, period! The only security is if you are your own boss and are in control of your own future, not some nitwit who owns a business and decides that you are obsolete now, so bye bye!!! Dream Big! My Best! Tom Sparrow http://www.switchtosuccess.com/scubapro48

Hi, Linda Loved the story, and am enjoying reading here how it struck each of your responders. My parents put me through college, and as far as I know put my brother through as well. My sister decided after only a month or two that college wasn't for her, and came home. I don't know how they saved for that monumental expense, though Eric and I did receive some scholarship and grant money. I suspect it had to do with the fact that my dad was entrepreneurial and had owned various businesses since I was in the third grade. I took an English major, my brother geology. Neither of us were wildly successful in the wealth-building arena for many years. But eventually my brother had the opportunity to become partners in the oil exploration business where he was employed. And eventually I woke up to the falseness of job security. Both of us are now comfortable and own businesses we find both interesting and financially rewarding. My sister? Not an entrepreneurial bone in her body, despite otherwise having a personality very much like Daddy's. She has always worked for someone else, and she is a valuable and valued employee. She works at WalMart now, and probably will until she's too feeble to drive there any more. No savings, no investments, just a job. What college did for my brother and for me was launch us into arenas where we could discover the truth. In particular, my English degree opened doors for me that wouldn't have opened without it. I don't think it guarantees success, either, but I certainly wouldn't want to visit a doctor who hadn't graduated from college! Now, the real lesson in the pickle jar story for me was that a little savings over many years has real impact. Put it in, don't take it out, and reap the rewards over time. What would have happened to the college dream if the Dad had decided to wait to start saving those coins? That's exactly what people are doing with their retirment dreams all over the world today. The philosophy seems to be, let's go for instant gratification and worry about retirement tomorrow. Tragic. Cheri PS, properly cooked, dried beans are delicious!