Crashing Down
by Christine
Have you ever had the a promptings/thoughts over and over and you finally do something about it? Well that is me tonight writing on my blog. I have had this thought over the past few months to start writing about things that have happened to me and my family over the past few years.
This is going to be difficult to talk about but I am wanting/needing to write about this because I need my children to be able to listen and learn from their parents about the mistakes and decision we have made in the past and how we have been able to work through them to be able to be a better example to our children. And also maybe reach someone out there that maybe going through some of this stuff themselves and let them know they too can make it and don’t ever give up.
Does anyone remember 2008? Well, I do. My life slowly came crashing down on us. Life as I have always known it changed in a heart beat. The economy tanked and so did business. We had to start dumping stuff (material things) quickly to be able to make our house payment, pay the electric bill, water, food, etc…. All of our savings had been depleted. So many things, feelings, conversations, phone calls happened I am sure I have blocked most of them out for my own mental protection. We had to make a very drastic and heart breaking decision to make and we did and I will NOT look back and have regrets because I knew for my own sanity and my families protection I had made and to keep moving forward.
During this time I thought all of the “things” in my life defined who I was. I though if I could go shopping anytime I wanted meant I had made it in the world, if I had nice big cars I was important, if I had all the latest stuff I was cool, go on the biggest vacations we were super cool parents, etc…. I think you get the picture. Remember this is what I thought about how to be a good parent was. If I didn’t have the big car who was I really, if I couldn’t take the family on vacation each year what kind of parent was I?
I struggled to find who I was during all of this. I isolated myself to a very small group of family and friends that knew what we were going through. I was embarrassed of my situation.
To begin to tell you how much I learned about myself is so much. I realize my life is not defined by my home, my car, our clothes, etc…..It will be defined by how I handled struggles in life, how my children our in society, how much I love my husband and family, how many times I tell my family I love them, how many smiles I have in my house. That is how my life is defined.
Now February 2011 I am so grateful for all of the thoughts, feelings, ups and down of our journey. We have all adjusted to our new SIMPLE life we have now. I am grateful for a wonderful husband that never once gave up and did everything in his power to hold our family together. I am grateful for my faith and my family. I know they are the reason I live each day.
I pray that I can continue to be an example to my husband and my children each day to be the best they can and always live below your means and ALWAYS be prepared.
