My Sister and her family are going to Costa Rica in June to visit her husband's father who owns a beautiful estate of sorts over there. They are very excited to go somewhere where they have never been. They want to take their boys on some great adventures and really explore this new place to the fullest!
My mom is scared and worried about this trip fearing the worst could maybe happen! What if you get hurt, what if you get robbed? What if? What if?

My little caboose daughter is adopted....I wanted to adopt at least one child in my lifetime. God placed that desire in me long ago. She was adopted into my arms (and my ex's)in November of 1999. It was a risk to adopt in my mother's mind. She was actually very put out with the whole idea that I wanted to mother someone elses child. Over the years she has been OK with it but not 100% OK with it. Yes..it was a risk many times along the adoption journey. It required alot of faith, but in my heart it was perfectly planned and all went well and I could not imagine life without my little firecracker!

Same with our money! We have to take risks and do things differently from all the rest of the nay sayers. Sure everyone has Credit Card Debt-but does that make it OK???? We have to take a risk and do things against the grain!
Like not eating out every weekend or buying the hot new DVD's and iPods.
We have to say things like" No I have to save the money first" or " That is not in the budget this month"

Taking risks can be scary! Sometimes... we do get hurt or make a mistake. But how else do we grow and learn?? In a way I feel a bit sorry for my mom as she has lived her life without taking much risk. She has travelled on a well worn path that others have gone down.
Some folks have to do things like everyone else. How exciting is that my friend? BUT....How rewarding it is to color outside the lines a bit and run your own race. Risks and roads not taken can be a very good thing and something that empowers us. Good things CAN come out of risk and doing things differently.