If anybody out there knows me, they will know I'm a rather enthusiastic person. Well, I have met my match in Kevin Swanson. He has got to be the most enthusiastic, charismatic person out there. He also happens to be one of my favourite speakers in the homeschool circuit right now and I'm excited to say he's coming to Canada. To Keswick, Ontario, to be specific.
He will be putting on one of his famous Family Economics Conferences on April 11 and 12th. He will be speaking about the family economy and how to bring this back into our lives and culture. There will be a panel of men, speaking about their family businesses and how they incorporate their families into their business. They will also be speaking about their vision for their family business, the pros, the pitfalls, and as well they will offer encouragement to those who would like to start their own family businesses. They will explain how they did it and some things to consider when starting out. I think it will be an awesome discussion.
It goes back to the whole reason RM started his own business. He just wanted to be home. He felt like he was missing out on his children's lives and that they were growing up while he was away at work. Having him home has been a privilege and a blessing beyond words. Yes, there are a couple down sides, like having my house turn into a manufacturing facility, but I will gladly give up a clean and orderly home (as if it was clean and orderly before he brought all his stuff in!) to have him around. To be honest, it means I have fewer rooms to clean right now!. So I'll take it!
The positives far outweigh any negatives. One simple thing is that we can debrief all throughout the day or whenever something is on our minds. Yesterday was a great example of this. He came in to get warm (yes, our pipes froze again yesterday.....please tell me this weather will get warm soon......), so I quickly put on a tea for him. His face was showing signs of stress or something. All the children were milling about, lots of questions about school, different subjects, announcements of test results.....but he could barely hear them as he needed to talk to me. Quickly I shooed them all out of the room and told them we needed to be alone for a few minutes to talk. Off they went. RM quickly said, "I have four things on my mind....." So I was right - his body language is so obvious..."Number one......" and on he went until his list was done. I'm not even sure that I gave him an answer for each thing or that he needed an answer for each item bothering him. He just needed to be heard.
Sure enough, after he went through his list of things on his mind, he relaxed, finished his tea and went back outside seeming refreshed without even realizing why he felt better. This is why I love having him home. We can deal with almost everything right away. I can be a sounding board whenever necessary and the schedule is flexible enough to allow for those interruptions. I never heard about his list of things again for the rest of the day. I guess they just needed to go from inside his head to outside his head!
That is just one side benefit to having a home business. There are so many others. Is there a tie-in to debt reduction? Absolutely. Before when he was at the company working downtown, his salary was pretty much capped. There was really no way to increase his income. He did do extra carpentry work on the side, but it took up all his free time and it meant we never saw him.
Now there is a much greater ability to increase his income. He's also able to pursue extra work when he can, like now when we are seeking to kill the mortgage debt. His extra work, such as working as a Porsche mechanic, can be fit in between his contracts without really impacting the family too much. If anything, he is able to incorporate the family, particularly the older boys, so that has been a real bonus.
So, you can tell we are real advocates for home businesses. It has been the greatest thing that has happened to us. Don't be discouraged if this is not your reality, however. We know it isn't for everyone. I know I'm painting a pretty picture of how wonderful it can be which might be torture for someone out there if this is clearly not in your future, but you never know! Remember that prayer and fasting thing???? Even so, however, it might just not be your reality right now. I have been quoting the C.S. Lewis line for weeks now....(here is my paraphrase), "If you think that earth is a place where you will find happiness, think again. That will make it intolerable. If, however, you view life on earth as a place of training and correction, then it is not so bad!" That is so perfect! So perhaps not having a home business is a test of contentment for some out there. It was a test of .8 years for us. We longed to have him home for a long time before it happened.
Learning to be content is always a test. Now that we do have a home business, it brings the ups and downs of an irregular income. Yes, the income is greater, but very inconsistent. We've had to learn to see this as a greater opportunity to have our faith stretched and that is has! Have we seen God work miracles? Oh yes. When we had a regular salary, there was, sadly to say, less reason to rely on God. It was almost as if we relied on our employer, if you can picture that. Once we leapt out on our own, we suddenly had no source of regular income. It has been amazing to see God provide again and again.
So, today I want to encourage anyone out there if there is a way to start a family business, go for it! Come listen to Kevin Swanson encourage family business as well if you can. Start the praying as it can take a long time for things to get put in place, but God did it in our family and He can do it in other's lives as well. We are not unique!
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