It's November and we are getting ready to leave Michigan and head back to California. This will be a strange trip for us because we have no contraints, no reason to return right after Christmas.
And yet, these are hard times for the United States. The economy is sinking fast, very fast and I fear for what may come in the next six months. What will our lives be like? My children have been relatively 'poor' but have never known a time when work was scarce or even when credit was scarce. They could always put it on a credit card. Life may soon be different for them.

There is a part of me that wonders what it would be like if our country and the 'civilized' world wasn't as rich as it has been. It seems like the value of work, education and material goods would be enhanced. It would have to change attitudes. I remember how my father and mother talked about the Depression. Getting an education was the single most important thing besides getting and keeping a job. It was a mantra recited time and time again by my parents.

I belive that Obama will be able to help because he inspires and I do believe he will do his best to formulate the right solutions. But I also know it won't be overnight.

So, we head off to California to be closer to the children and re-establish the family unit that was broken up about 7 years ago. There is a nostalgia to this trip. The family is paramount in our thoughts. That is what is most important. With that, we can see our way through anything.