Money Comes Money goes

When we moved to Hawai’i we socked some money away. Most of that money has been spent in getting us here, and setting up home.  But we put some money aside for one of our children to have braces and a little cushion in case it takes time to find work.

Recently, one of our sons was with his dad at Home Depot for a little male bonding time and some much-needed lumber, and  supplies. Ben sent our son to put the lumber cart away in the cart corral. Well, our son was not completely careful when he went to put it away. Ben said he had a moment when he wondered if our boy was ready fr this responsibility, because he tends to do things quickly rather than carefully. He dismissed this thought and decided to trust his son to carry out the task of putting this cart away. As my husband and son were leaving the cart, that was not securely behind the barrier of the corral, rolled out at high-speed and slammed into the side of someones vehicle.Yes, a large dent with bright orange paint. Something that would require body work.

My husband, being the man of integrity that he is, stayed by the truck and waited for the owner to come out. After much time had passed and no owner in sight, my husband left a note with his number. In a few hours we received a call from a very nice man who wondered what had happened to his vehicle. At the end of this call, my husband assured him that we would take care of the cost of repairs.

Knowing that body work is very expensive, we quickly realized that the majority of the nest-egg that we had left would be swallowed up by paying for the bodywork on this truck. We knew it was the right thing to do.

My husband and I have gone through a wide range of emotions…Should we be angry with our son? What should his consequences be? Was this a childish mistake? And the list goes on…God has been so faithful to remind us that we are all careless at times. Sometimes with our words, or deeds and there is always a consequence. There is always damage done.

Our sweet son….he is quick on his feet, a mover and a shaker, he is happy and kind, smart and funny, sensitive and tender. He is impulsive and careless, too. Never for a minute did he think that cart would roll out and do such a thing! however, it happened. It was a childish mistake. A very costly one at that.

Ben went to the body shop yesterday and paid the bill for repairs. Hopefully, the honesty that my husband exemplified is the weightier example here and something that all my children can take with them as they learn how to take responsibility for their actions, even when embarrassed, or when there is a high price on the outcome.