bill, the tax man.

tax season gives me anxiety.
the forms, the 15th & every TurboTax commercial.
I never feel prepared and am scared of the IRS.
but it's really because I'm ignorant about the whole process.
and I shouldn't be.
I was a business major in college. I took finance, economics
& several accounting classes {some of which I had to take twice}.
but numbers have never been my forte & math is far from my friend.

so during my first big girl job I had a boss and a dad
who were sympathetic, came to the rescue
and put the E-Z in my 1040.
although my dad did make me sit at the kitchen table
to go over each line
so that I could learn how to do it.
much like when I had to memorize my timetables in 3rd grade
but I sure appreciate that about him.

when I started my business last year, I became so overwhelmed with
the new tax situation in my life. I knew I couldn't do it myself.
and the dad doesn't have time for my 73 phone calls today.
so my landlord introduced me to her accountant.
bill, the tax man.

bill is a retired accountant and 76 years old.
he only does tax work for a select few folks,
just to keep his mind sharp.
she assured me that he'd love me.
that he'd appreciate a girl from georgia, a young entrepreneur
and a dreamer.
we met last year just one month before that fateful
15th day of the 4th month of the year.
we ate chicken salad & sweet tea at a tea room down the street from his southern antebellum home in franklin, tn.
he won my heart immediately with his quick wit, passion for SEC football and the sweet smile & love that spread across his face
every time he mentioned
betty
his wife of 52 years.

he chuckled when I asked the silliest questions
but said learning about how to file in TN for a GA corp
would make him oil up his wheels just a bit. and he sure liked that.
so I left him with my folder full of random papers
and a big ole question mark.

he and betty "winter" in fl so he called me last week
and said he'll be at my house, 6:30 on tuesday.
he shows up today in his crocs, golf clothes and with his briefcase.
we talk about all the information I don't have in order for my taxes
and he gently reminds me to take out a pencil & paper
to start a list of to do's.
and as pallie noted later, we talked business & taxes until 6:43.
but bill didn't leave until 7:30.

bill loves to talk. and I love to listen.
he asked about my business, we talked about his new puppy
and the state of the economy.
he shared stories about the 3 years he was stationed in germany from '54-'57.
we talked golf, fishing & his first great grandchild expected any day.
we talked about the price of oil, his love for the mountains,
wealth & greed.
bill believes the economy will be better by the end of the summer
and he believes that the toughest times show
the true character of a man.
he told me about the toughest time in his life
and how thankful he is, even today, how things just fell into place.
he choked back tears while telling this 40 year old story
but couldn't hold them back by the end.
I listened to bill and watched his tears fall.

what mattered the most is when bill, the tax man
took my hand and said:
I sure am proud of you, young lady, for sticking this out and understanding that it ain't all about the money.
after all, at the end of the day,
our family may not be all we have
but its the only thing of worth.

y'all.
in these dismal days filled with economic stress,
I wish everyone could have a
bill, the tax man.
to talk a lot about life
and a little about numbers
and be the greatest reminder
of real
value and worth.