Boycotting Walmart

Kaya was just 10 months old and this was Rene's first time out of Europe. I kept reassuring him he'd be fine, I spent much of my childhood in Florida, he's going to love it, and he'll find driving won't be that difficult after all. The roads are big and the cars are automatic. It was late at night when we finally arrived after delays. The first thing he did after exiting the airport area was try to turn onto the wrong side of the road on a major highway. Oops. Enter anxiety and quarreling here.

We got lost and drove 1.5 hours away from our intended destination. Kaya was screaming for her life in the back seat and we were tossing a giant map back and forth and getting tangled in it. We finally arrived at the hotel in the wee hours of the morning, just to be told it had been flooded and they reserved a room for us in a hotel. It's only a few miles away. There was no way we were getting back in that car so after a little intense discussion they got us a cab which took us straight to the hotel without any detour.

After we slept off the stress we got our rental back and decided to try to go some place and enjoy our vacation. We were intimidated by the vastness and unfamiliarity of America and weren't enjoying ourselves a whole lot. Until we figured out the route to Walmart.

Insert angelic singing here.

We were sorted. We pretty much spent the next week in Walmart, getting lost in it many times and reveling in the wonder of the huge shelves stacked high with colorful packaging and bold colors and fonts. The clothes were so cheap we bought a new suitcase to bring home as much as we could stuff into it. There was a Dunkin' Donuts near the entrance and lots of new food types with high fructose corn syrup which was a new wonder to us peeps from glucose syrup land. So we spent the vacation going from hotel room to Walmart to hotel room and so forth. It provided food, entertainment and miscellaneous other shopping.

We aren't the only ones. Whenever friends and family come to visit from Scotland, one of the first places they want to visit is, Walmart *insert angelic singing again*. In fact, after 4 weeks of crazy fixing up, packing up and selling our house, getting visas, saying goodbye and leaving the country for an International move with 2 young kids on tow and another one due in 5 weeks, on arriving in the freezing cold Northern Maine in the middle of a blizzard after not sleeping for about 50 hours, one of the first things Rene and I both wanted to do was go to Walmart. We were chomping at the bit. We had moved to the land with streets paved with cheese (or is it supposed to be gold? I watched too much American Tale) and we wanted to jump straight in to this beautiful, materialistic society. It was all such novelty.

I guess we bought into the golden arrow thing that they talk about on The Story of Stuff (click on it! It's a fun 20 minutes of online watching. The kids will enjoy it too)


Of course, the novelty wore off soon enough. We realized we are the poster family for People of Walmart . The obese couple with lots of unruly kids wearing pjs and sporting messy, unbrushed hairstyles. We started to notice how you walk into Walmart to do your weekly grocery shop and you enter some time warp. You come back out hours later hanging onto your sanity by a thread. In the interim, you've exhausted yourself walking around this miles long store, just to realize you forgot something back on aisle 1 and will need to go back for it, dragging unwilling children behind. You've become involved in more than a couple lovers tiffs over whether or not you should buy this brand or that or why they didn't check if we were out of paprika like you asked them to. And the People of Walmart around you are loving this free entertainment and don't mind at all if they start at you. You walk out the door frustrated, exhausted and confused as to how on earth you came out spending twice your budget after you planned it out so carefully.


I watched an interesting bit of propaganda recently called Walmart, High Cost of Low Prices. You can watch it online, and I suggest that you do. Click here to watch online via google video. It's also on netflix view immediately.

And Rene and I have decided to boycott Walmart for a year. Jan 2010 til Jan 2011. Hopefully by then we'll be quite out of the habit and won't go back to Walmart ever again. I'd like to say our reasons for this were noble. But mostly I am just so sick to death of shopping there. I can't stand the place. The produce is so bad. The store smells bad and is dirty. The kids almost always catch a virus after we've shopped there. We lose half a day of our lives just trying to shop for our basic needs every week. We always end up fighting. I grew weary of waiting in line for an excessive amount of time before the senile chic behind the counter finally remembers where she is and why and decides to start serving people. It's just. not. worth. it.

Thankfully here in Lincoln we have many other options. And Rene and I are having fun visiting the other grocery stores and choosing our favorites. We might need to visit a few places now instead of getting everything from one place. Kind of like how it used to be, the butchers, the bakers and the candlestick makers. We have one place we prefer for produce, another for grains etc. It won't cost a whole lot more than shopping at Walmart if we plan properly and go to the right places. We're buying more local produce and supporting smaller, local businesses.

Don't get me wrong, I am fully aware that Walmart is being made a bit of a scape goat in this. It represents the epitome of American capitalism and extreme consumerism. It's not just all about Walmart. But this is a little thing we can do that can be a small contribution to a big issue. Lots of small contributions can have a big impact.

And it's such a relief to drive past Walmart (hold the angelic singing voices please, they're driving me crazy) and know that we don't have to go in there!

Share

Some of the best, most stupid things I've done - homesick

I've done some really stupid things in my life. Thankfully, it usually winds up being just fine, if not wonderful. I guess someone's looking out for me.

Like getting engaged at age 17 and married at age 19. Looking back on it now, as an ancient almost 30 year old (well, 28 actually, I still have a wee while yet) I realize I was just a baby. You know how it is at that age, you think you know everything, you think you're as mature as you'll ever be. But I was just a baby. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

But I did know that Rene was my soul mate and the only one I wanted to grow old with. And I knew that I was committed to him forever.

We've had some tough times. And then some tougher times. We've mentioned the "D" word that rhymes with mivorce and have been through counseling. Today, after 9 years of marriage, we feel like we've been through about 25 years worth! Right now we're going through a really good spot, we're strong and are building on that strength. Though we're still capable of having really sore, painful quarrels, like everyone. We're learning how to better manage these and bring issues to Jesus. I know there will be more tough times ahead. But I married the right guy. And I'm so thankful for him. And I know we'll get through whatever life flings our way. It won't always be easy, but we'll get through. Better together.


Which begs me to mention this website I wanted to bring to your attention. Remember sweet baby Kayeigh who I madethis video for shortly before she went to Heaven? After her death, her parents had some struggles in their marriage. It happens. They had spent the past year in hospitals, praying, hoping, longing, riding a rollercoaster, then suddenly it was all lost. And time to pack up and go home. And all the strains and stresses they had been putting off while focusing on Kayleigh, no doubt came the surface all at once.


Anyway, through their own marriage breaking down and then them working their butts off to rebuild it, they learned a lot about marriage and love and God. So Aimee (Kayleigh's mom) decided to start an online Womens' Marriage Ministry. On this blog she gives testimony, shares advice and posts challenges to help strengthen marriages. Even though I consider Rene and I to be in a good place just now, I've found the challenges really difficult! But it's good. It's refining and honing. I strongly encourage you to go check it out.





Other stupid but best things I've ever done include homeschooling 4 kids.
I mean, what was I thinking? They're constantly here, needing my love and attention and guidance. I don't get a break. No matter how sick or tired I may be, they need me and are depending on me and I have to just trudge on through. It is HARD. WORK. But ya know what? It's amazing! I couldn't say I love every minute of it, but I sure do love it. I really get to know my kids, I learn from them as well as teach them, they keep me real and focused. And at the end of the day I can tuck them in at night and be content in my soul that I didn't waste my day. I spent it with them. They're growing up so fast and I don't want to miss a thing. And I'm not. I'm not missing a thing. I'm right there, and that's everything to me. And I hope it's valuable to them too.

Dreading my hair.
Taking all those long locks and deliberately knotting them all up to make a hair style that many people have a a distaste for (especially in a white girl) might have seemed rather extreme. And certainly, during the really puffy and tangled stages where I looked like I was wearing a bad wig and I had to rip them 5 times a day until my fingers bled and I cried (which is not typical, I just have really tangly hair), I did at times think that it was a bit of a stupid idea to dread my hair. But, I LOVE it. I feel so authentic. It's the best hair style I've ever had. It's natural and I feel like me. It feels right. I catch my reflection and think, "ya man" I like it.  I'm so glad I did it. They're still babies, but more manageable now. And hopefully in 3/4 of a year they'll be looking schweeeeet. I know hair is just a trivial matter, but it has been a good thing for me. To just decide I don't care what people think or say, I'm going to be authentically me, and content with that.
 

Moving to the USA
Coming back from London, visas in hand, heavily pregnant with 4 weeks left to fix up and sell our house, pack up all our belongings, say goodbye to family and friends and move across the ocean to a new Country, all over the Christmas period was a bit of a challenge. We moved when I was 35 weeks pregnant, with only 6 suitcases containing our entire lives. Photos, some toys, dvds and clothes. That was it. We were broke. Jobless. And some might say a bit stupid.

But it has worked out beautifully. Family took care of us, God took care of us. We are well integrated now, we have amazing friends and neighbours, a fantastic church , a great job and a much happier life than we ever had in Scotland. The kids are thriving, they have friends and places to go and things to do and see and are enjoying their life. We have ambition and plans and this really is the life we wanted and needed.

But some days. Like today. I look back and think about how it really was the most stupid thing I ever did. I feel homesick. Not for the weather, or for Tesco, or for 2 weeks off at Christmas. Nor for Chewin' the Fat or George Square, Boots the Chemist, galaxy chocolate or people who know what the word jobby means *snicker*. Just for Mum. A girl needs her mum. Even when the girl's frighteningly close to 30. She still needs her mum.

We used to go over there every Saturday and just hang out. Talk, watch  X factor or play cards. She often cooked something yummy. Sometimes through the week if we were bored or needed a pick me up we'd just go to Mums. I hate the fact that my kids are growing up without getting to go to Mum's on a Saturday. Without hanging on her hammock in the back or sitting on the patio chairs at a barbeque. Sometimes I wonder if moving here was just stupid. If it weren't for the fact that I know the life my kids here is much better for them, and I believe they have a brighter future here, I'd gladly give up the better weather, cooking with cups instead of scales, friendly people, challenging and uplifting church, fantastic homeschooling network, huge washing machines and dryers, basements, attachment parent groups, local/sustainable foods connections, awesome natural birth grass routes movement/groups, ambitious/patriotic/optimistic mentality and even ranch dressing and grape flavored popsicles to have mum in my life.

*sigh*. I so wish she'd move here (as does like ALL her family here) but I know it'll never happen. She's happy where she is. I just wish the ocean wasn't so darn big. I do miss my mum. A girl needs her mum. It was a stupid thing to do. And it was the right thing to do. Sometimes that's just how it works out.

Share

Babies just grow

So, I've mentioned before that we're trying a container garden this year, in addition to our allotment for growing in the ground.

I've been reading about all the things that can go wrong, and have observed through trial and error many ways NOT to do things. So far most of my seedlings are doing ok and a bunch of them are in their new homes, in larger containers. I've also had a few sad losses along the way.

It is labor intensive. I have the grow light running, I'm checking for moisture and hand picking bugs ever day, I'm picking out grass growing where we don't want it to grow (D'oh, I put hay in the composter. It obviously had grass seeds. Ugh.), I'm training plants to grow certain ways, rotating containers when they lean towards the sun, so their roots will strengthen. It's a lot of work.

A couple weeks back I walked into Kaya's room. She rarely opens her blinds, and her room is rather dark. She had this pot in her room, which had sat outside all winter after a tomato plant died in it and we hadn't cleaned it out or sterilized the soil. The soil was compacted inside, and very dry. It hadn't been watered. But Kaya had stuck an avacado seed inside. From a fruit we had bought at the grocery store, she kept it, I think soaked it for a day or so, then stuck it in this pot. It sat, dry. In the dark. And it grew.



It's looking beautiful now. And I must admit I've been quite amazed that out of such a dire looking environment, something beautiful can grow.



And it got me thinking about how somehow food has always grown, with or without the farmer. God designed nature such that it will reproduce, it will grow. We may have found ways to dabble with it and stick our hands in and make it produce more than it would naturally, or with a more desirable product (but sometimes with consequence or high cost), but it will grow without us.


And it reminded me of something I was told back in 2001, when I was a brand new, full of pride and joy and nerves and fear, mother of my first newborn daughter. I so wanted to be the best for her, but I really didn't know what I was doing. or I assumed I didn't. I took her faithfully to the mother and baby clinic, every single week, to be weighed. Because that's what you're supposed to do, right? To be a good mum....right?

One week my health visitor smiled at me and said, "You are absolutely welcome to come here every week, but you know you don't have to. Your baby is thriving. The weigh ins are more for bottle fed infants, but Heather knows how to get exactly what she needs from you when she breastfeeds. The weigh ins are not necessary. Babies just grow."


After my Dr bashing Dr Knows Breast post last week, I want to readdress the balance a little by telling you a little about Ruth Astbury.


I don't have a photo of her so I made this from the way I remember her looking

Back in the UK, instead of going to a pediatrician for unwanted advice health related parenting issues, we had a Health Visitor. In the early newborn weeks she visits you at home. I had many friends who complained much about their Health Visitor. But I got a gem. My HV, Ruth Astbury, was the best I could dream of. In fact, we nominated her for a Health Visitor of the Year award once and she got runner up (but for some reason she won a train set and I was given money! I felt bad about that..), but she deserved first place.

She claims she was "just doing [her] job" but I believe she went over and above the call of duty. When I came to her, an insecure, new parent, she taught me to trust my instincts. That is THE single most valuable lesson anyone can teach a new mother. I'd ask her a question, expecting to be hand held and institutionalized, and thinking that was right, and she'd answer me by asking, "what does your gut tell you?"

Honestly, I can't express how on-top-of-the-world that made me feel. That this professional was going to trust me; a naive, inexperienced 20 year old new mum, to make my own decisions regarding the care of my child. Because she believed I had it in me. Because she believes in mothers.

And it changed my path entirely. To me, attachment parenting is all about going with your gut. It's not about wearing a sling, or feeding your kids granola, or wearing a t-shirt that says "got milk?" across the boob area. It's about going with your gut. Trusting that God gave you maternal instincts which are sufficient to raise your children successfully. No matter what the books say. No matter what your peers say, or even the well meaning pediatrician. Mommy knows best.

Ruth was introduced to me, by my Dr, as a "breastfeeding expert". And she gave me invaluable advice. Things which are now considered up and coming techniques, she has been preaching since forever ago. She first told me about squirting breastmilk in an eye to clear up an infection. She encouraged maternal nutrition in the most compassionate, non-condescending way.

When Heather died, she came to our home, for MONTHS, to listen to us talk and cry and work through issues. She happened to be a Christian, and was an incredible source of spiritual support also.

She's the most humble, sweet lady. And she does an incredible work, on a one by one basis, encouraging mothers that they are able to be everything their child needs. That's a message so many need to be reminded of.

She gave me a gift of confidence. I don't believe I'd be who I am today without her influence and encouragement. I'd have gone down a much more mainstream path, and would probably have continued to feel insecure and inadequate, as I sort of default to that.


What I'm trying to say is (besides THANK YOU to Ruth), mothers out there, kudos and more power to you. You're playing a very important roll. Try not to sweat the small stuff...babies just grow. Look deep inside and you'll see you have everything your child needs, already built in. God is very clever that way.

Share

Dr knows breast

Have you ever been given unwanted advice, and tried to smile and politely ask to pass the bean dip? Unwanted advice can be as annoying as an obnoxious bloke playing Come On Ilene continually on the duke box while you're out on what was supposed to be a romantic date (do rah do rah yeah). So this advice comes at you, unrequested, just when you were moseying along quite fine by yourself...I hope at the very least that the advice is good.



Photo by Alaa Hamed @ sxc.hu

We should expect that the medical profession is all about encouraging breastfeeding....right? Especially considering all the health benefits associated with breastfeeding. It's natural to assume then that Drs, nurses, lactation consultants, pediatricians etc. should be all up to date with the latest and greatest breastfeeding information and advice....right?

Unfortunately, I have spoken with many women who feel they are not receiving good advice or encouragement from such professionals. I'm not trying to start a Dr bashing session here, as there are many wonderful health professionals who do an excellent work of promoting breastfeeding. Unfortunately, there is also a lot of bad advice going around. The worst thing is, we often find those in the medical profession to be intimidating and it can be difficult to overcome breastfeeding problems when we are faced with bad advice from those who should know better.

I think we need to address this issue; more breastfeeding education for Drs would be a fantastic start. To try to stop women hearing things like this:



Sarah: "With my first daughter; I had/have flat nipples and the "lactation nurse" took one look and informed me that I would never be able to nurse. I so wanted to go find that woman later, when I was tandem nursing."


Jane was asked how many ounces of breastmilk her baby was drinking at each feeding. She told the nurse that it was the oddest thing, but her breasts didn't come with ounce markings



Taylor: "When I first tried to breastfeed my son in the hospital, I was told by a nurse that I was too young to be able to produce milk, and that there was no point in trying. When I insisted on trying anyway, she rolled her eyes, stood there for a minute, and when I got him latched on (with my mom's help), she sighed, said, "Looks close enough" and walked out of the room."



Mary: "When Timmy was about 4 months old, I got a nasty case of mastitis, and called my doctor to get a prescription and the nurse who talked to me on the phone told me to make absolutely certain I DIDN'T nurse on that side at all until I'd seen the doctor and been on a prescription. I nursed anyway and told the doctor she needed to correct whoever was on the phone."



Barbara took her sick daughter in to see the Dr. The doctor sternly told her she had to stop nursing immediately, that it was the breastmilk which was causing her daughter's illness.
Turns out, her baby actually had a blocked intestine caused by the rotivirus vaccine which was later taken off the market.
She didn't stop nursing, they somehow figured it out, and her daughter is now perfectly fine.



Photo by Carin Araujo @ sxc.hu

Julie's lactation consultant volunteered some advice: "Don't ever let your 10-month-old fall asleep at the breast. I let my first child do that, but I was wiser by the time I had my second."
Julie replies, "this is my fourth child, and I know what works for my family. I'm here for a prescription, not parenting advice"




A new mom was told to try to estimate how much breastmilk her newborn baby was taking at each feed, and to make sure it was close to 3 oz.




Gladys: "The psychiatrist I saw there told me I was a "horrible, selfish mother" for taking anti-depressants while breastfeeding. She told me to immediately wean, or she would call DFACS and have them take my baby away. There was no benefit to breastfeeding over bottlefeeding, and I could hold her the same way and have the same bond."

Well, there's exactly what a new mother with postpartum depression needs to hear!



Hazel's pediatrician told her that he "required" all of the children he saw to be weaned by 12 months because they shouldn't be allowed to ever ask to nurse. He also told her that the nutrients in breastmilk couldn't compare to baby cereal once babies hit 4 months, and that Hazel's son would fail to thrive if she didn't give it to him.



Francis: "I was told to pump and dump when I had surgery at 2 days postpartum.
Just how do you dump a *drop* of colostrum??"




Karen's pediatrician said that if she couldn't pump 32 oz in one day, she wasn't producing enough breastmilk. She told him, "I thought pumping was not a good indicator of breastmilk production." He said, "That's the only way to tell if a baby is getting enough."

I told my midwife what he said, and she said, "What? 32 oz? Does he think you are a cow?"



Gwen's doctor told her that she needed to wean her baby, because her monthly cycles hadn't returned.



Katherine: "One of my nurses in the hospital where I birthed, when I asked for breastfeeding help, told me I couldn't nurse until my milk "came in." She didn't seem to understand that colostrum was all he needed. I just told her I'd figure it out myself. Thank goodness I'd done a lot of reading..."



Wendy: "When my son was 9 months I went into the ER with a severe bladder infection and the Doctor there gave me a prescription. When I asked if it was a kind safe for breast feeding he said rudely "No, you've already breast fed for 9 months, that's enough. There are no benefits to breastfeeding after 9 months."

After getting over the shock of his rudeness (and a good cry) I asked him to find me a prescription that was safe."




Diane was told that she must be mistaken, she couldn't be breastfeeding her son because he was adopted...there was just no way. She replied, "Hmmm...that's funny. I have been for 2 years and he is thriving."



When Bridget's second daughter was just born, the doctor suggested that she might not have milk yet and that she might need to give formula. (Has he never heard of a thing called colostrum?)



Lynn's Dr told her that all infants need to be weaned at 4 months.





Debbie: "When I got pregnant with Milly, Anna was just barely a year old and still nursing about 5 times a day and a few times overnight. The PA at the OB's office informed me that I HAD to have Anna weaned within a week, or Milly would not get the nutrition she needed in my womb."



Abby: "The Lactation Consultant at the hospital had me in tears because she said that if my 37 week twins (who didn't stay awake for anything very long) didn't nurse for more than 10 min, then I couldn't "count" that as a nursing session"



Lucy was directly asked if her daughter was drinking cows milk at her 15mo check-up . She said no, but that she still nursed a lot. The Dr replied, "Well, you should consider weaning her soon. You know there's no real benefit at this age - it's mostly just water by now."
(Strange how this incredible milk, packed with nutrients, magically turns into very white looking water when your baby turns 15 months.)



A woman brought her baby with digestive issues to the Dr. The doc didn't look into the mother's diet, just labeled the baby as "allergic to breast milk" and recommended she switch to formula.



Natalie: "I don't know what class the Postpartum nurses around here took, but they all think you should apply grape jelly to the nipple, to entice the baby to nurse."



Jill: "The dumbest 'professional" advice I got was to make sure I waited long enough between feeding to "refill".. What's sad I believed it"

Share

Must See Movie

From the trailer, this looks like it will be a visually beautiful film with a very powerful message. Please have a look at the trailer HERE.

You can save the movie on netflix, so it will be added to your queue as soon as it has been released.

You can also click here to see if there will be a screening in your city.

Share

We're rich

Firstly, sorry if I complain too much about not having much money. If I've come across as claiming to be poor then I have gravely misrepresented myself.

The fact is, Rene and I, our family - we are rich. Rolling in wealth, stinking rich.

MATERIALLY
Materially, we have much. Sure, we are technically classed as low income and are eligible for WIC and other assistance (though we don't claim it, for a number of reasons. One of which is we disagree with WIC's opinion of what is healthy, and also simply that we didn't move to the USA just to live off of tax payers' money).

But when you zoom out a bit and compare us to just 2 years ago, when we left behind all our worldy possessions and stepped out on a limb, moving to a new Country with 5 suitcases of photographs and papers and 1 of clothes as our only belongings, and 2 kids on tow plus one more due in 5 weeks. We had naught. But we were trusting in the bible verse my Dad read to us on our Wedding day,

Psalm 37
3 Trust in the Lord and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires.

5 Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will help you.
6 He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

My Dad and Step Mother took us in and took extremely good care of us for those first few months. We are so grateful. It was scary leaving them May 2007, to go off to Nebraska, where we knew no-one and had no job and no savings.

But God delivered. He took care of us. When we look around our house, we can count on two hands, the number of things we have actually bought, rather than were given. And we can count on one hand the number of those which were bought at full price. We haven't had to buy the TV, beds, dressers, sofa, microwave, kitchen table, chairs, dishes, silverware, cooking equipment. We've been gifted everything and are so grateful.

There are so many people around us who have so much less than us. We pray we will be good stewards with what God has given us.

And Rene is starting a new job in 3 weeks. It was a very tough decision to make, but we feel this job will provide us more financial stability and job security, especially given the state of the economy just now.


But really, materially wasn't where I was going with the whole rich thing.



FRIENDSHIPS

WOWsers have we ever been blessed in this area. I'm an introvert, and Rene is the extrovert. I wasn't overly scared about the social issues with moving country. Rene was deeply troubled however, that we wouldn't be able to integrate well in our new home. Admittedly, in those last few weeks in Scotland, when we were saying goodbye over and over to so many amazing, incredible people, I started to wonder, "what in the heck are we doing?". We left behind some life shaping, amazing relationships with the most wonderful people.

But again, God has provided for us again here. We have an awesome support system around us here. Lincoln has been so welcoming to us, and there are folks here who have just embraced us with open arms and made us feel we truly belong. In 2 short years, we've gotten to know some people who it feels like we've known forever. People rally around us when we're in crisis, and truly our cup of friendship if overflowing. Yes, I did just say something as cheesy as that.


KIDS

When I was a young girl, I used to say when I grew up I wanted to be a wife and a mother, and have 12 kids. I'm not quite there yet, but well on the way. I have always had a deep yearning to love my own offspring, and sometimes I look around me at my sweet little ones, each busting with their own personality, and I just can hardly believe I've really been given all this. It's everything I ever wanted. And I am everything they need right now. And that is a privilege that completely blows my head off. The only thing that would make this more perfect is of course, if Heather were still here. But then 10 weeks I had with her were also an incredible blessing.

I am so thankful that Rene makes enough money so we can pay our bills and can afford for me to stay home and educate the kids, nurture them and help them grow. I believe I have one of the single most important jobs in the entire world, and I pray I will do it well. I am certainly savoring it, I truly am. I'm so grateful that I get to be the one to sit beside them on the couch and teach them to read, that I am the one who gets to show them nature and explain what it is and what it does, that I get to be the one to see the look of satisfaction on their faces when they figure out how something works or how to solve a problem. And I get to be the one my little girls want to be just like when they grow up - what an amazing, beautiful responsibility. I am so glad that they are growing up with the assurance that I am there for them, any time they need me. That's worth more money than the richest person on the planet could afford.


EACH OTHER



We married young. You could say, young and stupid. We were dating at 16 and 18 years old, and married at 19 and 22. (2.5 years age difference) We've learned a heck of a lot in that time. We had some really difficult times, and have grown through them. We went through marriage counseling a few years back, which completely changed the direction we were going in for the better. I believe, in my heart of hearts, that God brought us together, that we were chosen for each other. Rene really is my soul mate. I love him endlessly.



Ultimately, I don't want to be wealthy financially. I feel it would only distract me from what's truly important in life. We make ends meet, and that's sufficient. God has given us so very much. We are rich.

Share