Being responsible means that you take full responsibility for what happens in your life.
Author: Manny Kagan
Tip of The Day
There can be a difference between a Real Estate Agent’s estimated value of the property and the one done by the Appraiser. Make sure to take this into account!
Wisdom of The Day
To get somewhere, you need to start moving.
Tip of The Day
Credit mistakes can be corrected, but it takes time.
Do Not Take Your Life For Granted
“Is our life a historical fluke or destiny?”
17 years ago, in a small village in Iran, a 15 year young woman gave birth to a girl. The girl’s father was 17 years old. The couple was not married. According to the local Islamic tradition, the little girl, her mom, and her father, had to be killed by stoning. The fact that he wanted to marry the young woman did not matter. The family shame was that they had a sexual relationship before marriage.
But then destiny had something else for the little girl.
What saved all of them was that the young woman’s father did not know about his daughter’s pregnancy and she was sent away to relatives, where she gave birth. One of the relatives had a brother in California. Since he was gay, he could not live in Iran either. He and his partner were considering to adopt a child, but how would they get the little girl out of Iran?
The events that followed sound like a detective story. The doctor gave a woman in her 50’s the certificate that the newborn was her daughter. She took her to an Asian country, where it was easier to travel from Iran. There, the girl was joined by her future grandmother and after 7 months of waiting, which cost the family a small fortune, they were able to bring the child into the United States. This is when we met her for the first time.
The couple who adopted this lucky girl are good friends of ours. Through the years, we witnessed her grow and her two dads’ (whom she calls ‘Daddy’ and ‘Baba’) hair become grayer. The family, which also included the grandmother, lived through many ups and downs. The little girl became a young woman and an accomplished person. I did not see her for a number of years and when I recently saw her pictures, I was stunned by her beauty. Is it possible that her life turned out differently?
We live in a country where it is easy to take our opportunities and choices for granted, but life is different in many parts of the world. Religious repressions, antiquated traditions, tyrannical leaders, superstitions, tribal ways of life, and many other reasons can create a completely different reality.
Let’s not forget that—and every day, let’s be grateful for the blessings that are bestowed upon us.
P.S.
To support my story, I decided to include images of girls whom I photographed many years ago in different parts of the world (I am sure look differently today). When I photograph, some parents are concerned that photos of their children can be used by some unscrupulous individuals. I understand and support their concern. We do live in a “crazy world”. Let’s make it a safer place.
Do Not Keep Me As A Secret!
Smile And Please SHARE It With A Friend!
Cheers,
Wisdom of The Day
Being afraid is a state of being. Changing your state will change your being.
Tip of The Day
Clean your credit report at least once a year.
Wisdom of The Day
We are all so unique, that it is impossible to compare ourselves to others.
Tip of The Day:
Jumbo loans require cash reserves. The amount varies among Lenders.
Mortgage Solutions For You!
A client had a 30 year fixed rate at 4.50% and Mortgage Insurance (MI). Her total monthly payments were $2,270. She called after she had received a flyer in the mail offering 4.25%, fixed for 30 years.
We checked the rates on our computer. 4.25% was available, BUT with closing costs. She wanted a NO-cost loan.
After meeting with her and her husband and finding out about their plans, we offered them a loan fixed for 7 years with the rate of 3.375% (no closing costs).
They agreed to take the loan, but then started shopping around. Someone offered them 3.25%, but when they received the Good Faith Estimate of the closing costs and we analyzed it, we pointed out that it would cost them $1,500 in additional closing costs.
There is always someone who has “better deal”, but how much it will cost at the end is a different story. After our explanations of the mortgage process, the clients decided to stick with us. Meanwhile, two months passed since we first met them.
Their new payment is $1,843 (A total savings of $427–the difference between 3.25% and 3.375% is about $28/month)!
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Date: Thursday: September 11, 2014 RSVP on Meetup.com OR Facebook OR email [email protected] |
