It was fitting that my wife pulled the plug on the life support system this morning on St. Patrick's Day at 5:55 AM. The 7 headed debt monster is dead. I'm here in my magical forest composing the eulogy. Do you remember that scene from the Wizard of Oz when the Wicked Witch of the West set fire to the Scarecrow? Dorothy poured a bucket of water on the fire and saved the Scarecrow's life. The Wicked Witch melted when the water splashed over her green body and she died. Everyone under her spell was free at last. Dorothy could return to her Midwest home free of the nightmare she was living. My wife and I are free at last. We are no longer slaves to debt. The final eulogy will be featured in "Live Long and Prosper." The Reader's Digest version is here for your review...
Today is a day our family will forever cherish. My wife pulled the plug on the life support system connected to our debt monster who had been in our family since before our marriage. When our daughter was born on this day, twenty-nine years ago, we celebrated her birth with great joy. The debt monster was alongside us, like a puppy who is eager to please his master. It didn't take long for this cute puppy to transform into an out-of-control monster who took over our household. This puppy became a Jabba the Hutt-sized dragon with seven heads spewing fire everywhere he gazed.
My wife checked out a book by Dave Ramsey ten years ago about the baby steps our family needed to take to kill our debt monster. For us, these steps were like a stairway to Heaven. In my heart I believed it would take an act of God to kill Jabba. After all, I turned my life over to Jesus and I do believe in miracles. How does one slay a 7 headed debt monster weighing over 100,000 pounds? That's right, Jabba weighed in at just over 100,000 pounds (each pound represents one dollar in debt). That was Jabba's weight three years ago on January 1, 2019 when we became gazelle-like in our intensity to kill Jabba in thirty-six months. It took a little longer because we suffered some setbacks along the way. I struggle with deadlines. Perhaps that will be the next monster I slay now that my confidence is growing. I may be two months and seventeen days late with this eulogy but the mission is accomplished. The Wicked Witch is dead. So is Jabba. It's time for an Irish wake. Happy birthday to our daughter, Nicole, our cousin, Patty, and Happy St. Patrick's Day to all my friends and family. Stay tuned for the twin books to be released when I conquer my deadline monster. Have a great day.
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