Thanks to Mom and Dad

Dear Mom and Dad,

Today I was going to the grocery store after a workout and the cashier talked to me. She noticed on my tank top the Santa Cruz symbol and said her last name was Cruz. With my love for California beaches, I told her that it was one of the coolest beaches and that she should definitely go check it out sometime. She responded with a bittersweet smile and said, “yeah, I will if I ever have the money”. It struck me with a flashback memory.

This moment reminded me of the time I worked at Kroger.  There was this twenty-something-year-old cashier who could never afford to go anywhere because he had to take care of his sick mother. From the time he was sixteen he never really had the opportunity to go to college or even leave his small town. His father was not around and his mother was so sick she was bedridden for most of her days.

I wondered if this was the story of the girl at the grocery store…

Here I was after so many months of unemployment, finally employed with this great company. I remember thinking how miserable it was to be unemployed, yet I got to experience what some people could never dream of doing: California. This girl said “IF” she could ever afford it. Not “WHEN” but “IF”.

I have often believed that there’s no stopping me from doing what I want to do. Eventually I will do it and in most cases, there isn’t an “IF”. 

I realized that the mindset and the gift to hope and dream is probably something I’ve often overlooked during bad times. The gift of “believing” that something good “CAN” and “WILL” happen is even greater.

Thanks Mom and Dad

P.S. I haven't forgotten that there are still a lot of people who are unemployed out there. I "CAN" and "WILL" help fix this.