Coming Home Series/ Week 2

I hope you all had a great Fourth of July!!! My family sure did. My honey was home and was paid to spend the day with me!! I couldn't post without mentioning the greatness of the United States of America.

My grandfather was a Sgt in World War One and World War Two. He instilled patriotism in us from a very early age. My grandfather was asked to be the Grand Marshall in many local parades. I still remember how tears would well in his eyes as He watched the American Flag march by. One of the unique things about my grandfather was he survived the pandemic flu of 1918. He was in a hospital in Europe, at the age of 18, in a coma for nearly a week. That flu took the lives of millions of soldiers. I recently read that particular strain of flu killed over 20 billion people world wide. He survived a devastating pandemic flu, fought in 2 World Wars and lived well into his seventies. Yep my grandad was quite a man. Thank you gramp!


We live in the greatest country on earth!! It is because of the freedoms we posses that I sit here and write this story. To all you service men and women and their families, THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOMS OF OUR HEARTS FOR YOUR SERVICE!!!! We realize that freedom isn't free and we are grateful for your protection of this great land!



Onto our Series............week 2

As we talked in the first series, I was a full-time working mama, with a desire to be home. It is my belief that God placed that desire in my heart as that is what He created me to be. (Titus 2:5 ) Although I truly wanted to be home, our financial picture was grim to say the least. We had incur ed a fair amount of credit card debit (o.k. a large amt. of cc debit) and had made many poor financial decisions. While we did not take grand vacations every year, we did not own a boat, and neither of us enjoyed expensive hobbies, we made poor (daily living expenses) choices. Fast food- remember I was working 50+ hours a week. Convenience was the name of the game. Grocery bills (there was little time to cut coupons and shop) Two cars, we both needed to get to work. Clothing-well there was no time to consignment shop. I justified the credit card purchases at JC Pennys, Bonton etc., because I was working hard and well I deserved it. This is America. The land of opportunity. The Devil is still in the business of deceiving.

I had a case of stinkin thinkin. While I pondered in my heart about leaving my job, the situation looked impossible. Absolutely impossible. Then something life changing started happening for me. I started reading and studying the word of God. God clearly showed me through His word that "For with God nothing shall be impossible." Luke1 :37 KJV (Emphasis mine) I held onto the word nothing in that verse. Could God possibly work a miracle in our financial situation? Did God really care what happened in my life? Was a Mothers place really in the home ? I say a resounding AMEN to everyone of the aforementioned questions. God did care and in time (His time) He showed my husband and I the way. No money did not fall from the sky like manna. We did not come into a large inheritance. No we didn't find a bag of money on our doorstep. No God knew how weak we were. God knew if He gave us a pile of money, it would ruin us spiritually. Now I am not saying that if you have been blessed of the Lord financially that you are spiritually ruined. What I am saying is God knew "us." It would be through developing a deep spiritual walk with the Lord that He would reveal to us His will and plan for me to come home. I started seeking the Lord with a passion. God speaks to us through His word, we speak to Him through prayer. I started doing both desperately. The very first changes that we started making was literally feasting off the Word of God.
If you are desiring to return from the workforce and regain your role as homemaker, I promise that if you diligently seek the Lord with all your heart and soul and mind He will show you the way. It may not be in your time, but His. It may not be the way you plan, but the way He plans, all for the purpose of bringing Glory to His name.
It took aprrox. 4 years for me to leave my job. I still work during the summer as a perdiem employee. The Lord has allowed me to make a very good hourly wage. I do not hold a position. I receive no benefits from my employer. I am considered a casual or perdiem employee. Full-time homemaking is my number one priority after being a wife and mother. My husband and son are my home, not the dwelling we inhabitate. My son is almost 14 now and I work on the average of 2-3 shifts per month. Sometimes more in the summer if our schedule allows. There are some months I don't work at all. I make a small amt of money to help to continue to pay down that mountain of debt. Yes we are still paying that off, but we only have 3 more credit cards to go. (We started out with about 10) God has been so faithful to us!!
I won't tell you that it has been easy. I won't tell you that it has not been without sacrifice. I won't tell you that it has not been without temptation to abandon this lifestyle and live on the salary we previously made. However I will tell you it has been worth every trial and I would do it all again. I love being the Keeper of my Home and I have never been so completely full filled. It is my prayer that I have been an encouragement to you. I am praying for you. Blessings, Michelle

The next post will contain info on health insurance, life insurance and more nuts and bolts of the actual reduction of our income. Stay tuned.....