From the trenches…

Things are tough all over.  These are definitely difficult times.  Gas prices are going up.  There was a time when that wouldn’t have made a huge difference in our lives because we never really drove all that much.  But now that I have a job that requires me somehow getting there, we are using more gas and I’ve notice us filling up more than normal.  I have to work, though, and so we begin to “make do.”

This article talks again about the middle class and folks who regularly eat out finding themselves not going out as much or taking pleasure drives to save money.  What about those of us who never did these things as much anyway?  Tough decisions sometimes have to be made on the fly in the grocery store.  A luxury item for us at the lower end of the middle class spectrum might be, not buying doughnuts for Saturday morning breakfasts.  It gets worse when you start to count slices of bread in each package, wondering if you’ll be able to make it on one loaf of bread instead of two.  “Tightening the belt” stops being a rallying cry from the distant past and becomes a present reality.

Fortunately, we did not take out any credit lines on our home and end up with more debt.  We streamlined our ARM at an affordable rate and our mortgage is considerably less than the rest of the middle class.  We couldn’t rent an apartment for any less than our mortgage either, so we can’t save on housing prices, unless we sold this house (which would be difficult) and moved into a trailer park.  Believe me, I’ve looked into the idea.  There are some nice parks out there in neighborhoods probably nicer than this one.  We only have one car, which helps, but still, we can feel the economic impact of this “recession” or maybe it’s even a depression.  Is anyone really sure what this economic environment is right now?

And my husband has been out of a desk job since November.  To his remarkable credit, Jim has managed to keep us afloat with what used to be his “side job.”  Thank God, people out there still want websites and he has now taken on the mantle of “Director of Development” for the Friends of Indonesia.  So we’re making it, little by little.  Because Jim works from home, we don’t have child care costs to manage.  I’m amazed at how he has stepped up to the plate with the kids while I am at work.  Jim has taught Ana and Davie how to fold laundry and made them responsible for keeping the house picked up all the ehile managing to get his work accomplished.  The children are lucky to have such a father and I’m lucky to have such a husband.

There is joy in the little things.  Ana took a liking to the song “Falling Slowly” from the movie Once.  She and Jim picked out the tune on the piano and Ana can now play the melody on the right hand while her left plays chords.  Ana is very proud of herself and is scheming to play the piece with a friend of ours who plays the guitar.  My mom sent both of them little toy camcorders and David has now decided he wants to make movies when he grows up like Daddy’s friend Mr. Jonathan.  I am remembering what it was like to be “me” helping others to live fuller lives by improving their ability to communicate effectively. 

The birds have come back.  They sing every morning, calling the sun closer to home.  Soon, the trees will grow their leafy finery and the dance will begin again.  This, at least, is given us to enjoy for free, if only we keep our eyes open and remember that the steps we take are but a small part of some larger reel that spins on from this point to the end of forever.

Here is the fabric of our lives, the poem we write with the best and worst of our leftovers.  As hard as it seems sometimes, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Be blessed!