I always hear people say in panic, “Why are you not working? This is not the trend now!!! It is impossible to live in one income these days!!!! You are losing your mind! Those were my thoughts also when it was only my brother who was working and he is still the one who puts the bacon on the table up until now but someone serves it so beautifully that it makes me change my mind.
I want you to meet my brother (Jerry), his only daughter (Jherra), & his wife (Darwin). This was on their thin & challenging days but they have stood the test of time.
My brother was the one working on a very small monthly income and his wife stayed and turned their house into a home. They raised a child, have a simple but super beautiful and peaceful home, have a modest appliances, enjoyed with friends and have a blast in life. I know that they went through the toughest of days but they emerged the strongest as the time went by. With their small income, they built a house and sheltered both of their respective families. They have been so generous of their spaces regardless if they were the one who sweat and sacrificed for it.
At their home, he gets up to work and his wife provided a first class service for their family. They have healthy food, a tidy house, and a peaceful home. In most cases, their home has been a shelter for cousins who temporarily strayed away from their respective partners and went home refreshed.
The following are what I learn from a model family who live in just one income:
1) DON’T MIND WHAT PEOPLE WILL SAY. I’m sure they must have feel the pressure of the voices all around them but they stick to what works for them. For them, it’s best that one works while the other stayed at home to raise a child and build a sanctuary of peace. To each it’s own. We have different path to follow and I am sure that they have followed through faithfully and consistently.
2) MAKE THE MOST OF WHAT YOU HAVE. My sister in law can turn a trash into gold. She uses it for decorations, painted it herself and viola, her home is the best, no bias, promise. She is just a gifted home maker who just minds her own business.
3) BUDGET AND STICK WITH IT. With a very small income that my brother have, she literally sticks to her budget and enjoy life. She has no internet, no facebook account, no instagram, no twitter, but bask on peace. And she did not look disheveled at all. She knows how to carry herself with class and elegance. And wait, my brother is the most at peace without social media too.
That’s my sister in law Darwin. Isn’t she lovely? I have a high regard on her. That does mean to say that we don’t have disagreement? We do but I consider her a great blessing to our family.
4) BE CONTENT. In their home, there is peace because they are contented with what they have but keeps on dreaming. I remember at one point my brother told me, “You serve the Lord, You are driving a car, have a high salary, but you don’t have peace.” It was an eye opener for me and I will never forget it. To desire for material possessions and money drives us crazy but to be content gives us the space to have more. Eventually, my brother has been blessed not just with possessions but with their fats as well (hahahaha).
5) ENJOY LIFE. I’ve seen them respecting each other while enjoying simplicity at its core.
She does the laundry.
But he helped when the rain pours so suddenly.
6) RAISE A GOOD NATURED CHILD. Their daughter though going through teenage challenges is such a lovely lady and our future Miss Universe (hahaha)
I woke up like this. That’s their only daughter who is oh so beautiful.
They have modeled what a contented family really is.
***********************************************************************For me, my brother and his family is successful and have so much more. Sometimes, he looked down at himself probably because of what he has seen around him. Sometimes we missed the gold within us because we see glitters that will just fade but theirs is a glitter that stays. I will never forget when I was 8 when I prayed to the good Lord that my brother will have the best wife and my sisters will have the best husband. He did answer my prayers.
beautifulandcolorful 