My family isn't better off than it was 4 years ago; at that time, my father was still working as a teacher. Now he's paralyzed and his income was cut in half since he relies on disability pay, and had to take an early retirement thus he's not getting a full pension anymore.
I'm sorry to hear about your father, Nym. My dad was partially paralyzed in a car accident in 1993. I know how tough it can be to go through that. He lost his ability to play music, which was the thing he loved the most.
Thanks. Yes, it was a trying time, he came down with a rare staph infection in his spine from an injury he sustained, and it was misdiagnosed and mistreated.
The sluggish economy when I graduated from college in 2001 caused me not to be able to get a job, but in retorospect, I'm probably better off because of it actually...I went back to grad school to go into a profession that I'll enjoy more.
I also met my girlfriend who I otherwise never would have met if I hadn't gone back to grad school. So...sometimes life works in strange ways.