Change, it’s the only thing we’ve been able to rely on
lately. The last few months have been a whirlwind of change and renewal in the
Ross household, and while I’m happy about all of the changes and satisfied with
the direction our lives have taken lately, I’ll have to admit it’s all been
pretty exhausting.
It started over the Summer. Jeremy enrolled online at
Jacksonville State University. Since we married in 2007, he’s been working
on-and-off to obtain his degree. The summer of 2012 marked the most serious and
permanent jump towards this effort, and it also marked the entrance of college
loans into our lives.
I didn’t anticipate the stress these loans would add to our
lives. I had been fortunate enough to have the HOPE scholarship while in
college, so I hadn’t accrued mountains of student loan debt. Also, Jeremy and I
had lived under pretty strict self-inflicted financial rules for the duration
of our married life and were hard-core avoiders of debt that wasn’t a mortgage.
In an instant, all that changed.
Also changing was my professional life. My supervisor and
mentor moved on to another job. Other factors at work started shifting; my
footing became less and less sure. And it became more and more clear that it
was time to move on. I spent several months in a state of unrest. I was
unsatisfied with the direction of things; I felt restless and impatient.
I changed during this time. I became Katie Version 2.0. I
was myself, but I was stronger. I was more confident. I was less willing to
settle. I was less willing to let people walk all over me. At the time, I
didn’t even recognize the shift in myself. I only felt the struggle, the
frustration. I overlooked the benefits of hardship. Such is human nature.
Blessed relief came in the form of a new job in December and
that’s when I noticed the difference in myself. The weight that was lifted with
my new job felt nearly like a personality transplant. The stress that had
driven my life for so long seemed to evaporate. The happiness that was always
just below the surface bubbled up, and I was the Katie that I wanted to be
again.
As my new job evolves, as I find my footing and forge my new
path, my happiness seems to only grow. As scary as it was to make the first
leap from comfort zone to unchartered waters, I’m so relieved that I made that
dive, that I’m beginning to make a real splash in my new career.
Tomorrow marks the beginning of another change. Jeremy will
be embarking on a new part-time endeavor. As usual, I feel the butterflies and
uncertainties that each new challenge brings. Doubt and hesitation make my
heart skip a few beats as I think about the days and weeks to come.
With work and school and new-found hobbies and all of the
wonderful things we want to try and do, how will we find time for it all? How
will we handle all of these changes? How will we embrace new choices and goals
and dreams?
I don’t know. I do know that we have survived change before.
I do know that life is change and that I better get used to it. I do know that
the only thing we can rely on in the coming months and years is that the world
is spinning, and we’re going to need to run to keep up.
I do know that when it’s all said and done we’ll be able to
see clearly the changes in ourselves and how through hardships and strife, through
love and hate, through dark days and sunny, we only become better.
Unfortunately, the financial burden of this recovery is difficult as well. Because Tom just started a new job recently, he doesn't qualify for FMLA, and Tom and Nina are facing medical bills that will just keep piling up as his recovery goes on.
So that Tom can focus on his priority, which should be his recovery, a GiveForward site has been created in his honor to assist with the medical bills. If you are able to donate even a few dollars toward the Hedin family, I can assure you they will be appreciated. This young family is just like our own families; they just happened to stumble upon a bad turn of events. Even if you are not able to give, please help to share Tom and Nina's story.
Thanks for reading!
