I came home from high school the day my Grandmother learned she had lost half her money when RB&T had failed. She told me that they might have to sell the house. ( I lived with her at the time.) It was a modest house and it was owned. I can recall the despair in her voice. (She sold her two cars and used a cab for the next year. )
The next day she was fired up and wanted to kill the bank president. My uncle took all her guns except for her pistol he was so scared she would do it. When they arrested the bank president, he relaxed a bit. He told the bailiff at the trial that he should search her purse. She later had too much scotch and told me she had that pistol in her pants the whole time during the trial.
LOL
During that whole period when she saw things going from bad to worse - her other half of her money was in oil leases - and oil just cratered - she would tell me stories of growing up dirt poor when she was so hungry she would eat raw turnips from the field. This would put perpspective on things.
And then she would tell me stories of how she bootlegged liquor and beer during Prohibition until I'd laugh so hard we'd both be gasping for air.
She dusted herself off, refused to quit, faced the facts, prioritized, and made decisions.
