I finished a genealogy for a young woman that I became friends with when I first moved here.  She had a writing group that I joined.  She has three daughter's...2 have autism and the youngest has learning disabilities.  I don't know how she does it, as the oldest one acts out at school and keeps getting suspended for a few days.  20 suspensions already this school year.  The oldest is in her senior year, very big and strong and fights with other students and teachers.

It is a real struggle for my friend.

She mentioned that she was interested in finding about her family tree.  Her parents don't want to talk about any of it, so she basically knew nothing about her grand parents.

I told her if she had the birth dates and where her parents were born, I'd do some research and see what I could come up with.  She did know that and even knew her Dad's father's name, but no dates for him.

It took me awhile, but I finally found a "path" and once I found that, up the tree I climbed.  LOL

I knew this young woman couldn't pay, although she insisted she would.  My rates are $7.00 an hour for the research and putting the book together, i.e., writing the story and scanning and adding census reports, military records, marriage licenses, death certificates---whatever I can find in my research.

When she asked me how much it would cost, I told her, "about $100.00 and you can pay me as we go along."  One day she stopped in with groceries--milk, bread, a can of soup, cheese, a candy bar and a jug of Diet Pepsi.  I found the receipt in the bottom of the bag, so I credited her invoice for that amount.

I got her book bound last week and the total for all of the research work I had done, the acid free paper for the book, printing out the pedigrees and the book binding came to $234.00.  I "fudged" and printed out an invoice for her with a total of $108.00 and apologized that it was $8.00 more than I had told her at the beginning.

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My daughter Karen scolded me.  "Mom!  You, of all people, can't afford to do these genealogies for free.  That work helps you pay the bills your Social Security doesn't cover.  I suppose you gave it to her before she had paid for all of it."

"Yes."

"Mom!  Don't you remember that woman that never paid you?  You mailed her the book and she never paid for it.  That's why Jen and I told you to get a hundred dollars from the person, before you started any research for them."

"Yes, but............"

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BUT.....this young woman knew nothing about her heritage.  She wanted to know.  I wanted her to know.  I found the cemeteries where her grand parents are buried.  I found photos of their grave markers.  I found photos of her Great grand parents.  I found that a town in Ohio was founded and named by her 6th Great grand father.  I found she is German/Irish.

....and the look on her face, when she saw her book, was way more important than the money I may have missed out on.