After Losing Her Car & Facing Foreclosure, A Widowed Stay-At-Home Mom Learned An Important Lesson To Make Her Kids Proud
She's not alone in her struggles.
Ketut Subiyanto / Pexels A woman named Sarah was facing a heartbreaking emotional and financial situation when she called "The Ramsey Show" for guidance.
She told Dave Ramsey, “I don’t know if I should just throw in the towel or fight. I lost my husband four years ago and we’ve been surviving off the social security and insurance payments.”
The widowed stay-at-home mom lost her car and was facing foreclosure when she learned an important lesson that made her kids proud.
Sarah explained how her husband died when he was 36 years old.
She told the story of his passing, saying, “He was working for a roofing company… and he fell through a skylight working on a roof, 30 feet, and he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage.”
Yet the insurance company filed an appeal to freeze the payments she’d been receiving, and she said “It just threw my finances in a whirlwind.”
She was provided an attorney through workman’s comp, who denied the appeal so that her payments restarted, only, as she explained, “That put me in a place where I got behind, really behind. By the time I got a job, I was drowning.”
At the time she called into "The Ramsey Show," she had 45 days before her house would be foreclosed on. Sarah spoke tearfully, her voice breaking as she said, “I know this is my fault… I wasn’t taught the best discipline when it comes to money.”
Photo: Keira Burton / Pexels
Ramsey reassured her that her dire financial situation wasn’t her fault, saying, "Life has happened to you. You’ve had a tragedy."
“I want you to breathe this in,” he continued. “I’ve been doing this for 30 years. You are not getting foreclosed on. We’re not going to allow you to lose that much equity… You’re not going to lose this house.”
“We’re gonna wrap our arms around you and make sure that you’re okay,” Ramsey said. “We’re gonna put a bunch of people in your life, and you’re going to follow the instructions of these people, and we’re gonna save your house, and we’re gonna get you back up on your feet, and get you a car, and get you going again.”
Ramsey offered her resources, providing her with a counselor from his show to help her navigate the mortgage company system.
He also connected her with a local church to “get some people around” her. “You need some community loving you,” he said. “You’ve been doing all this by yourself and it’s terrifying.”
Her voice filled with tears as she said, “I just want to do it the right way, and teach my kids the right way.”
Photo: Jonathon Borba / Pexels
“I don’t know if there’s a right way to lose your husband when you’re 36,” Ramsey answered. “I don’t think there’s a right way to do that. It just hurts and it’s messy and then everything gets discombobulated.”
Ramsey’s co-host spoke up, noting that she was doing the unthinkable: speaking up and reaching out for help from a truly tragic place.
Her kids saw her struggle, but when she relied on the community around her, she showed them what it means to triumph over hardship.
“The light comes back on a little bit,” he said, “And they get to see that by watching their mom go through it.”
He reiterated that she might not feel strong, but really, she held wells of strength, just by asking for help.
Photo: cottonbro studio / Pexels
“You feel like you’re failing them, you feel like you’re failing everybody, it’s all coming down on you,” he said. “I want you to know you’re changing your family tree because they’re getting to see a strong mom.”
“The fact that you’re standing and breathing, you’re making them proud,” he said.
A few months later, Sarah called back to give an update, sharing, “I feel different.”
“In the beginning, it took me some time,” she said. “I set my expectations for myself a little too high… and I didn’t realize how much those behaviors have to be unlearned… I’m still getting there, we’re still turning the ship around.”
“My whole world was saved by so many people,” she shared.
While her story was tragic, in our current economic climate it's certainly not uncommon. But that commonality is an important reminder that we can support and help each other through the struggle. Her story is a powerful account of the strength of leaning into our communities and asking for support, for that’s the only true way forward.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers parenting, pop culture, and all things to do with the entertainment industry.