by Hope
Please join me in congratulating my baby boy, Gymnast, on completing the requirements to graduate high school. (He is graduating a semester early by choice. It wasn’t our original plan but when all factors were considered, we decided this was the best move for him.) I thought I would take this opportunity to fill you in on his plan…
He has thrived in working almost full time since this summer when he turned 17. He worked while he was in Texas when he was staying with my parents and siblings. And then returned and found a new job here. The freedom of having his own income has been very empowering, isn’t it always!?!
Generosity has been very evident in how he spends his money. But he has also been very smart with a very focused approach to saving.
His goal for the next seven months is to save for a move to Texas. He is not sure what he will do once he gets there, but he knows that is where he wants to be. And has known that for a while. I 100% support his move.
Right now, he has no plans for school. He will have to find his path on his own. And we have talked extensively about what he will need to do if he does decide he wants to further his education – out of state tuition, direction and so much more. He’s got a good head on his shoulders, but other than location, he is not sure what is next.
Any guidance for how to launch a young person who doesn’t have a clear purpose or direction would be greatly appreciated!
Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.
But life has a way of rewriting your plans.
A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.
Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.
Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.
She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.
