February 15, 1999

Well, it's time for the old Financial Report! It will be the last one for the paper version of Voices. Last year we spent $1,329.71, and we took in $72.15. I'm sure you can see the deficit. Quite a hole there, folks! That's why we had to go mostly internet.
Our personal expenses this year were about $7,700. Our income was about $10,205. We've actually got a few dollars left in the bank this year! A very unusual occurance!
I was smart enough this year to take my vacation pay and put it right in the bank, and use it to cover the slow period when they cut hours at work. So we've done quite a bit better this winter.
I also bought three months of groceries in one shot, and brought them home in a cab so I don't have to take our shopping cart out on the icy streets this year. A guy deliberately tried to run over it last year when I had to go out into the street to avoid a blocked sidewalk, and I decided that was enough, and this year I wasn't going to go out in sub-zero weather and icy streets. Bad enough walking to work!
You never know...one of these days we may be able to report to you that we've sold a manuscript and we're financially independant, and are devoting our full time to our religious work, and even have a STAFF! Aren't we dreamers?
But a dear friend of mine used to say, "Gerald, if you don't have a dream, you're lost! Don't ever give up! Keep on fighting!" I'll always take his advice. We're fighters here, and we always will be.