I feel like I do plenty of thinking and worry about money these days. Nolan and I have always had a very financially budgeted marriage. He enjoys the security that comes with spreadsheets where everything adds and subtracts itself, telling us exactly how much we have left after taking in expected expenses. I’m good at obeying. Becoming a stay-at-home-mom has certainly brought opportunities to become more creative with what we do have and an eagerness to find good deals. And we’ve definitely had to prioritize the necessary (new siding on the house) over the wanted (adding a craft room to the house), and the essential(new belts for the car) over the improvement (laminate flooring).
But for as much as I find myself longing for a raise in Nolan’s paycheck and monetary success in my blog/etsy business, I have frequently caught myself thinking, “I am rich.” It’s in the moments where I watch Jace set up an old keyboard on an end table, pull up his little chair, sit and start typing. Then, a moment later, pull over his other chair and set up three stuffed doggies on it to keep him company. “Typing yetters, Mommy!” he tells me.
I marvel at how blessed I am when I listen to this little boy count blocks as he stacks them. Watching my boys work in the front yard Saturday morning—Daddy with the thatch rake and son with his lawn mower, dump truck and shovel. And as they clean up the piles of dead grass, Jace shouts, “We’re picking up the volcanoes!”
And I couldn’t help but turn up the volume on the baby monitor as I heard Jace singing along with Nolan before bed the other night, “We love You Lord, You are amazing. We love You Lord, for all that You are. We love You Lord, walk right beside us, protect us and guide us, ‘til we meet again.” It’s the first song he has mastered all the words to.
So while yes, I’m regularly taking inventory of my house for what might be sellable to help prevent us from using savings to get ready for a new baby, I’m also taking inventory of these precious moments that truly make me rich.
**As a side note: my diligent husband was very good at not giving into my spending whims back when we were both working and was able to build up our savings account to something that would have been able to help sustain us should he happen to loose his, then unstable, job. I am so thankful for the position he has now and the security there, and for the way his commitment to saving is providing for some very necessary needs at this time. I also understand that not everyone is able to be in that position of saving.**
