Needed Pleasures

I talked to Mama last night. It's strange how roles change: after 40 plus years of needing my parents, my mother needs me. She didn't say that in so many words, but it was apparent. What is not said is often more important than what actually gets said.

She felt guilty about spending some of her insurance money on a car. She needed me to tell her that she got a good deal and that, now that Daddy's gone, she needs reliable transportation. Her old car was 11 years old, and Daddy always kept it running. Its days were numbered, and Daddy's not there to nurse it along another 50,000 miles.

She knew that all along, but she needed someone else to tell her.

We also talked about what to do with the money left over. One of my uncles is going to help her get it into an annuity. The return won't be huge, but it's a safe place to park more cash than she's probably ever had. She needed me to validate that decision, also. I told her that, at her age and in her circumstances, she needed an investment option that was safe, even though it might provide a lower return than putting the money in mutual funds.

I'm waiting to see how much money I've lost from my 401k this quarter. It's all in mutual funds, and over the long haul, it's doing well. In the short term, if the market doesn't improve dramatically, I'll lose money.

She can't afford to do that. I have another 25 years until I can even touch the money, so I can look at long-term growth. She can't do that.

After years of being semi-estranged from my family, I'm needed again. It's kind of strange. I feel like the prodigal son who's come home after too many years of being away.

I have new reponsibilities, but I don't really mind. Being needed is well worth it.