Undergraduate / 'the first two months of my new business' - Essay Prompt B [2]

Write about an issue that is important to you prompt...

Picture yourself without the one you love - the one you have spent your life with, the one you have called your best friend, your "Prince Charming" or "Sweetheart". Nearly 10% of American women are widows who suffer the hardships of losing a loved one. This is especially important to me not only because my mother is a widow, but also because mothers all over the world are being overlooked for what they do and the amount of suffering that goes with being a widow. No child should see their mother cry or struggle. No mother should have to make the tough decision to pull money out of her retirement plan and her child's college savings account to provide safety for her child. With the help of government programs and organizations, the burdens of being a widow may not have to be that heavy.

April 16th, 2011, the worst day of my life, the day my mother lost her husband and I my father. Watching her scream and cry disheartened me to no end. Just knowing that there was nothing I could have said or done to relieve her of her pain was awful. It's like being frozen in place watching someone you love get beat up and hurt, your outstretched arm almost reaches theirs, but it's no good, there is nothing that can be done.

The initial discovery that there are no financial programs available for Widows was astonishing. Living through what they go through and feeling how they feel allows me an unfortunate view into the life of a widow. The burdens carried are too much; no one should be forced to muddle through like they do. Financial struggles are the biggest grievance suffered by these widows, which is completely understandable, knowing what my mom and I went through. When my dad passed away, the debt my dad had accumulated due to his heart and health problems overwhelmed us. My mother was forced to work longer hours and take money out of her savings and retirement accounts to pay off an unimaginable amount of money to the IRS to avoid having our livelihood taken from us. I was given the choice to continue my dad's business in June and I chose to continue it. Was it not for the help that I provided, I don't think that my mom could have done it alone. Within the first two months of my new business I managed to bring in $15,000 to help pay off this debt. I chose to continue the business with my mother fully in mind, I made the decision that whatever money that I made, I would give it all to her until we were back on our feet again.

Unfortunately we aren't on our feet, each month begs the question of how are we going to pay for this, what bill should I pay this week, can I go this much longer without the fear of losing car insurance? These are the questions that constantly put stress on me and my mom. Other widows may not be as lucky as we were to have a second provider for income, and those are the ones that I worry about. How are they going to squeak by this week, this month, or even this year?

Thanks in advance