circle of life

In the beginning of our marriage (and even recently), like many other couples, we hit unstable financial times… and in those moments learned how to graciously accept a boost from others. We also experienced help in the way of physical labor on building projects, food & housework when hit with sickness or shortly after the birth of a baby.  So many times we felt unworthy… and I remember so often feeling completely helpless, unable to repay our kind friends, acquaintances & neighbors.  We were told, over and over, “Your time will come & you can repay by passing it on.”

Well, we still haven’t reached a real comfortable financial plateau, with car & house payments, tuition, dental bills and just the general cost of raising a growing family. But I feel like we’ve partially reached the era of ‘paying it back’. Sometimes I feel like I’m just overflowing with tips for simplifying the homemaking career, sharing potty training experiences, hints for keeping sanity as a busy mom, etc etc. And that is partly how this blog was born.

Emotionally we’ve had a bit of a roller coaster in the last couple of years as well… a lot of sadness, internal stress & mental combat with loved ones. My eyes have been opened to so much, and I feel others’ pain so much more intimately than I ever could have before. It’s a great opportunity to be able to say to someone who’s experiencing hard times, “Hey, I’ve been there; I know it looks impossible right now… but I’m here for you each step of the way & I know you’ll get through this.”

We’ve been married for 9.5 years and parents for 6.5… and all the little tidbits we’ve gleaned along the way we are so happy to share. We remember too well the helplessness as we were starting out and it’s a great challenge to pay it forward!