Regular readers of my blog will know that it is named after the house that I lost in foreclosure a few months ago. This past week brought the next step in the saga. We met with our lawyer to finalize our Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing.

There is sadness. I have lost something I loved. There is shame and guilt. I grew up always avoiding debt and repaying those that I had. In addition it isn’t just big evil corporations that are affected by my bankruptcy. There are small business that I am friends with the proprietors that I cannot pay back. Then, there are my children. I cannot give them everything I want to. It is easy to see how this can be very depressing.

A mixed blessing is realizing I am not alone in this. It is very bad in that our economy is in bad shape and a lot of people are suffering. Yet recognizing that one’s suffering is not unique can help people through their suffering. The New York Times reports today that “Worldwide, banks and brokerages have written down the value of the assets they hold, notably those linked to mortgages, by more than $400 billion since the beginning of last year.” The article also suggests that the worst is yet to come.

I don’t know what percentage of that is foreclosures and personal bankruptcies in the United States, nor do I know that size of a typical foreclosure or bankruptcy, but reports otherwise have said that during the month of April this year nearly a quarter of a million houses were in foreclosure. That means, nearly a quarter of a million people, probably much more when you include houses that haven’t hit foreclosure yet, people who have already lost their house in foreclosure and haven’t regrouped yet, and their relatives, are struggling through very difficult times.

The morning after meeting with my bankruptcy lawyer, I met with my doctor for a checkup. I’ve been treated for high blood pressure for nearly fifteen years. Over the past year, high cholesterol has been added to the mix, and most recently, I dealt with allergies that turned to a sinus infection and then bronchitis. The bronchitis has not gone away, and now I’m inhaling steroids to get it under control.

All of this sounds rough, right? We’ll during my checkup, the doctor asked a few important questions. First, she asked about an extraordinary stress in my life. I mentioned the bankruptcy filing and she followed up by asking about what my support structure was like. I am blessed with a loving family and good friends who have helped me through this difficult time. I’ve received very helpful advice on how to minimize the impact of the foreclosure and bankruptcy. My understanding is that the folks who bought Orient Lodge from the bank are working on doing a good historic restoration of the house, so my fears of it being torn down and replaced with a McMansion have been allayed. I’ve managed to line up enough small consulting gigs here and there to keep the wolves from the door.

At the end of the appointment, she made sure that I would be able to afford the medicines she prescribed and talked a little bit about options to keep getting the medicines I need if things got tighter. So far, I’ve been very fortunate that only one time did I have to worry about whether or not there was enough cash to pay for my medicine and things worked out. Even if I hadn’t of had the money, it was a temporary cashflow problem and I knew that I would have the money for my medicine in a day or two.

Yet not everyone is as fortunate as I have been. It is easy to slip into despair and depression when confronted with a financial situation that seems to provide no way out. Yesterday, I learned that an old friend Lori passed away last week. I don’t know the details, but it has been suggested that she gave up on her battle to remain solvent and fight for a better country.

It does feel like people around me have prayed that an angel come and help me through these difficult times, but it also feels like somehow, Lori missed the touch of Clarence or his counterpart. For those of you who don’t recognize the reference, Clarence was the angel in “It’s a Wonderful Life” that helps George Bailey. Where was the angel assigned to take care of Lori? Why didn’t they manage to connect?

We may never know. Yet this much I know. I know that what has made America strong in the past is when we have all stuck together, through good times and bad, when we have sought to care for one another instead of giving in to selfish greed. I’ve had wonderful discussions with people who lived through the Great Depression and how they managed to entertain themselves in simple ways, to get by banding together. We need to learn from these people and band together in simple ways.

Lori fought hard for these ideals, yet she herself did not receive the support she needed. As we struggle, day to day, to make a living, let’s also struggle to make a difference. Foreclosure and bankruptcy are difficult things. There are many other difficult things we all have to face. Yet none of them need to be hopeless, especially if we be the angels God calls us to be.