Saturday, September 17, 2011

Hand-Outs for the Tithe-Payers?

I was chatting with my mom on the phone tonight. She mentioned that one of my uncles was experiencing a little financial difficulty, and he called my dad to ask for a donation to his cause. Historically, my dad has always forked over money whenever the relatives requested it. For one thing, he said, they always make themselves scarce when they're indebted to him, so it's money well spent. I assumed my mom would tell me he wrote out another check.

It came as something of a shock when she continued with the saga, saying that Dad asked him if he gave 10% of his income to the Church this month, and if he planned to do the same next month. I have to give my uncle credit for honesty, at least in regard to this matter if not in all areas. (This IS the uncle who stole all our toothpaste last year.) My dad told my uncle that the [incredibly wealthy]Church to whom he had faithfully paid tithes and other contributions for all these years should be the first to help him out in his time of need, if only to waive his tithes and other offerings until his financial situation improves.

If that fails, my dad told my uncle, he should ask my grandparents for a loan. My father's parents have a reasonably large bank account. They'll never be able to spend all of it before their days on this planet are complete. Their daughters' husbands, however, are almost universally reticient about hitting my grandparents up for cash in hard times. It's as though they don't want to admit to my grandfather that they ARE having hard times, so they come to the heathens (my branch of the family) for help in their times of need.

I am so incredibly proud of my dad for not caving in to a relative's pleas this once. After all, my parents now have two children in college, and our educations are  covered by scholarships, but law or medical schools won't necessarily be. We're not exactly rolling in extra cash. If we have extra money that my parents haven't told me about, I can think of dozens of ways for us to spend it that don't involve handing any of it over to my uncle.

4 comments:

  1. It's interesting they'll go to the "heathens" instead of those who are supposed to be enlightened.

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  2. Good for your Dad!

    Oh, by the way, Alexis, out of pure nosiness, could you please ask your dad what he thinks of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale? I drunk a great deal of it last week in Santa Clara. I liked it, in the UK it is a specialist import ale.

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  3. Matt, my dad likes Pale Ale, although he's partial to darker beers, ales, lagers,or whatever. I don't really know the difference. Frankly, I think my dad likes vanilla extract and mouthwash, although I've never caught him drinking them.

    After my dad and my uncle Steve, who's also an R. M. exmo, have had a few, they drag out the Pale Ale and they holler out, "Pay Lay Ale" each time they take a swig. i think that's from the temple ceremony.

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