The past few months have passed with blinding speed. It never fails to amaze me how quickly life flies by.

The past month has been…trying. We spent several months anticipating the birth of a precious baby that my daughter was adopting…only to have the birth mother change her mind after he was born. It is hard to put into words how disappointed we all are and how hard it was to go through that. She is now back on the waiting list.

During the same time frame we experienced the death of a cousin who we were all close to. He had a massive heart attack and died in the cab of the truck that he drove for a living. He was only 53 years old.

Income tax time rolled around and we were kicked pretty hard by “good old Uncle Sam” due mostly to unemployment that my husband received during the last half of his year long job search. After three layoffs in 5 years…and a cut in pay each time a new job was found…paying taxes was difficult…but we got it done.

And currently, we are trying to figure out the best course of action in dealing with my mother. After my step father passed away, she found out that apparently he had signed a form on the wrong line when he retired. Consequently…she will not receive any of his pension… and her life has become a series of financial struggles. This combined with the fact that she is a hoarder (seriously)…has become a constant source of stress for everyone involved.

There are many days lately when we fear that the light at the end of the tunnel may truly be a train. However…it is only April…the year is young… (shudder). I know that things could have been much worse…and I have hope that the next 8 months will be better.

Be Well!