Never Say Never

Sometimes life has a way of making a liar out of us.  Last week, while meeting with a client (age 78) that I've worked with since 1982, I was told the mother-in-law (age 94) was living with them again.  Well, for some people that might sound normal, but for them it was INSANE (based upon their earlier life experiences that is).

I'm talking about people who had tried this before and wished bad things upon each other until the mother-in-law moved out several years back.  Now, however, it felt very different. 

As the daughter-wife said, who is still working --"It works great.  She has a good mind and he has a good body.  My mother gives my husband (the son-in-law) purpose and keeps him busy.  He fixes her snacks and they have wine at 5 pm every day in the kitchen."

After 30 years of financial planning with this family, I can say this was one of the sweetest moments in my career, and THE sweetest for the family.  The change of heart, based upon changing circumstances, reminded me of the importance of family, and the value of the planning relationship over a long period of time. 

It would take a book to tell about all of the transitions we have gone through together, but this transition has a different texture to it that causes me to smile with joy and sadness.  I pray that everyone lives long enough to reckon all the imbalances of life and end up like Brer Rabbit who just begged not to be thrown into that briar patch!