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A reliable support network is a luxury many people never have. Working far from family and friends presents its own set of challenges when something unexpected happens.
When I was in Spokane I met a remarkable group of young mothers who had come to know each other through a local gym where their children took classes. The gym closed when the economy fell. The women kept in close contact. They arranged play dates for their children, where they could get together and share feelings, ideas and child raising tips as well as the growing bonds of companionship between their young children and their own friendships.
When one woman had car trouble, another was there to assist her. When one needed a baby sitter, another reached out to do the job. When one was ill, others took turns providing meals for her. There was always someone who would step forward and fill a need, knowing that in turn, should she need them, her new found friends would be there for her.
The key to the remarkable success of their support net work was responsible people. A support network just doesn’t work without responsible people. An irresponsible person would not only drain the network, but would also make it unreliable. An unreliable system, when someone is in need, is a recipe for disaster.
Choosing who to get close to and who not to get close to had been determined by these young mothers, by watching each others parenting skills and also learning how they handled other responsibilities. The network included women of both high and low income brackets, various religious and non religious backgrounds, single, divorced and married young mothers all dedicated to being good parents. The women had a lot of diversity in race, nationality and education, but they had one vital character quality in common. They were all responsible people. Responsible people are reliable and dependable. They are the only kind of people you want when you have an unexpected problem or crisis and you really need some one to rely on. Nothing short of the integrity to be responsible would do.
It was inspirational to watch these young mothers set such a remarkable example of great humanitarian maturity in not only meeting their own needs but in crossing bridges of race, religion and social status with out any apparent thought of having done it. They faced their hopes and needs in a falling economy, without family backing, to build something significant, something born of the heart and character of good people. They created a reliable support network. We all know that is a real luxury no matter how close or how far you are from family.
Rebecca Kimbel
Area Gov. Toastmasters International
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