Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Work vs. Family: A Wifey Wednesday Post



I enjoy following Shelia at ...to Love, Honor and Vacuum Every Wednesday she posts a Wifey Wednesday entry and asks for input. Today is the first day I have chosen to respond here.

Today's topic really hit home with me. Not because I live with the type of marriage she describes, but because NOT living that way is the basis for our entire life.

You see my father almost worked himself to death. I can't remember a time in my childhood when he wasn't working. He missed out on choir concerts, flag corps competitions, 4-H activities, and just about everything else. While my mother drank and "did the things she did" my father worked. While I learned to manage a household like a full grown woman, my father worked. While I suffered the blows both physically and mentally, my father worked. I would love to imagine that he didn't know, but the truth was he did. I do have good memories of times with my father. He's not a monster, he just did things the way he thought he should.

When my father became ill a few years ago the company that he worked for, that he sacrificed his family for, fired him. He lost his pension, his health insurance, my parent's home, and most of their possessions.

This is the reason Keith and I live the way we do. We live in a 80's model singlewide (until the time comes to remodel and move into the farmhouse), we drive used vehicles, I shop for clothes at thrift shops and on e-Bay, I grow my own food, cut coupons, and cost cut every way I can. Everything we own is paid for. All of these things we do so that my husband does not spend his entire life working and missing out on his family. (and so that I can stay at home with our son) Do I sometimes wish I had the material possessions that others around me do? Yes I do, but then I take a long hard look at my life. I wouldn't trade it for any other.

I understand that not everyone can live as we do and some men have to work long hours that take them away from their families even if they do not want to. For us though, we have made the conscious decision to live a lifestyle that is focused more on family and less on material things. We are striving to "get back to the basics."

2 comments:

  1. That is awesome that everything you own is paid for! It's such a free way to live. And I would rather live debt free and have little in stuff than have a lot of stuff and little in relationships. Sounds like you and your family are making some great choices!

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  2. Oh, I could talk to you all day about this! We live much the same way! What we have is paid for and we work hard to do that. We are living in a 93 model single wide mobile home! We are building the new house in the backyard and paying for it as we go. It takes longer but when it is finished we will not owe for it! We cut our own timber, saw it on our sawmill, that we saved money up for to pay cash for it, and have done all the work ourselves on the house! Don't own a new car, my car is a 94 Buick, Richard's truck is a 84, and my son has a 78 Chevy! We grow a lot of our food too, and raise or hunt for most of the meat! Have deer meat in the freezer and we slaughter hogs and cattle for our other meat! I would rather live this way and have the closeness that we do with the kids than any other way in the world! We try hard and the Lord provides for us...

    have a wonderful day!
    Kristie

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