Jan K. Collins and Jan L. Warner offer financial and legal planning advice for Baby Boomers and seniors in the new Lifestyles section...
My husband, Toby, and I took a 5,000-mile road trip to visit family for the holidays.
He drove the whole way (retired trucker syndrome!) to Texas; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Council Bluffs, Iowa; and back home. Brings a whole new meaning to: There's no place like home, Toto. No, we didn't kill each other or threaten to walk home, thanks to our American Automobile Association (AAA) Trip-Tik.
TRUST THE TRIP-TIK
I know GPS navigation systems are wonderful, but they aren't perfect. My granddaughter and her husband were in Washington, D.C., entered their home address in Long Island and wound up in Virginia! We'll stick with AAA's paper-map system.
I love traveling through places I have never been to before. I make notes in the Trip-Tik book, hoping to go back one day when I have time (or so I tell myself, anyhow). One of those spots is Wildersville, Tenn., where I saw a sign that says they give Civil War battleground tours. I have ancestors who fought in the Civil War. I just cannot imagine the bloodshed in Wildersville or dozens of other Civil War sites across this grand country. There were oddities in many states, including Tennessee, where we saw a 23-story glass pyramid built right on the riverbank in Memphis. Turns out it's a stadium that seats 22,000 people. In Texas, a Web address printed on the back of a car caught our attention: timmakesmelaugh.com. I checked online and found it is sponsored by Grace Fellowship Church in Paradise, Texas. Tim is Christian comedian Tim Hawkins. Unique and free advertising!
I buy newspapers whenever we stop for gas or rest breaks. As the old saying goes: The stories are real; only the names have been changed"¦ Over and again, it was a different name but the same circumstances you might find right here in the North Country. People losing their homes to foreclosure, factories shutting down, domestic violence arrests, fires, drug deals gone bad; rest areas and truck stops closed in Ohio due to the economy.
There were also loads of stories about people helping others who are living out these real day-to-day events.
BUT FOR GOD'S GRACE
We don't read much about homelessness here in the North Country, but it is rampant in some cities. In Colorado Springs, the area around Fountain Creek has grown from about 100 homeless campers to more than 400 in just the past six months. Many are former managers, workers, parents with children. The story there is job loss, repossessed homes and no extended family to help them get by.
I contacted one of the church leaders who cares for the homeless in Colorado Springs and found he started an outreach of practicality. He solicits cans and wax or candles from the public, melts the wax, pours it into cans and adds wicks. The candles add a little bit of warmth in the tents where the homeless folks live. He also hands out warm clothing, toilet paper and blankets.
My grandson sat in on a Bible study held by this same pastor for the homeless. They first met at a Denny's restaurant, where the preacher bought coffee for everybody who showed up. He has since moved to a nearby church because the crowd was getting too big for the early morning meeting. By February, the church will have converted unused space into a day center for the homeless, where they can shower, eat, get clean clothing, see a doctor and meet with job counselors to try and get back on their feet. Another old saying comes to mind: "There, but for the grace of God, go I."
One last thought: Please be kind to each other. The world needs more kindness.
Susan Tobias lives in Plattsburgh with her husband, Toby. She has been a Press-Republican newsroom employee since 1977. The Tobiases have six children, 18 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. They enjoy traveling to Maine and Colorado, and in her spare time, Susan loves to research local history and genealogy.
Reach her by e-mail at: writertobias@gmail.com
