During the summer I attended a meeting for a newly forming Christian school of midwifery. It met at the home of a pastor who spoke before we got into the nitty gritty of the school plans and proposals. While I didn't agree with everything this pastor was talking about, and his Church history was a little inaccurate, I heard something that has changed the life of our home. He talked about the benefits of running a family business. This pastor has a radio program and does seminars. His whole family participates in the events, setting and running their table/booth at conventions, producing audio seminars and packaging and shipping their family "merchandise" all over the country. My first thought was, "yeah, that's nice for you, but I don't think we have anything our family could do."
Last summer, just before we went to visit my godmother for the last time, my husband sat in our house waiting for a phone call. Work situations had changed and he was supposed to start wiring apartments and businesses for cable. Each week the boss would tell him, "I should have something for you next week." But "next week" didn't come. He stayed behind while I journeyed with 6 children across several states and back, but still no work came.
When I returned from California, we had no idea what to do. I said, "I wish there were some home business we could do." He'd thought of that too, but couldn't think of anything. I'd had an idea in the back of my mind for a number of years about doing a radio theater program for Orthodox children focusing on the Nativity of Christ, Pascha and lives of the saints. I presented this idea to him and he got excited. In our family I am usually the optimist and he is the pessimist...or "realist", so for him to get excited was...well...exciting! My husband is a musician and had been an audio/visual tech. at the Christian camp where we had worked in California. He knew about running sound boards, recording, duplicating and packaging cd's. He had resources for finding the right equipment to do sound recording. This was right up his ally. But the thought of taking such a huge leap of faith seemed impossible. Just after we began to entertain these thoughts he received a call for a job with his boss' brother and so this idea was swept under the rug. It was a tough decision because this job meant my husband would have to work Sundays. The relationships he'd been building at church would have to be put on hold, yet again, but he needed to provide for our family.
After a few months with the new company it was clear this company cared very little for its employees, and very poor work ethic, which caused a lot of frustration and piles of stress. What we didn't know was God had a plan just around the corner. My hubby plugged away. We prayed.
I went to the midwifery meeting and on my way home I lifted up that little rug the radio theater idea had been swept under and was met with several other ideas as well. When I got home I presented some of these ideas to my husband and....HE WAS EXCITED! We talked and prayed and thought and sought (counsel) and prayed some more. The Lord opened a some doors, and even a few windows, and provided a way for my husband to come home to us.
Since he's been home every on of our children has come to me (not sure why me and not Daddy...) and told me how much happier Daddy seems and how glad they all are that he's home. And he IS happier! He is working on our micro-farm. He has built fences...lots of fences...built a goat pen, made a miniature coop for the chicks and fixed the chicken coop out at the barn. He has dug and chopped and helped plant. He has invited his children to help pull nails, build and be part of the birth of our family business. He has set up and torn down our bread stand at the farmers market each week and made sure I get to bed at a decent time the night before. He has purpose and, for the first time in his working life, enjoys his work. 
(had to include a picture of our goaties
We have no idea where this adventure will lead or if he'll have to find work outside of the family business we're endeavoring to create, but we are enjoying the time we have right now and we are so thankful Daddy gets to be home! (I sure do love my amazing man!!!)
