Tough times don’t last. Tough people do.

One year ago today I was in such a terrible financial situation that a bunch of friends started a GoFundMe campaign to help my family.

Exactly one year ago today.

It was the end of a really shitty three year downward spiral where we were hit with one unlucky blow after another.

And this time last year our house went into active foreclosure.

It sucked.

It really, really sucked.

But it’s a year later and things have totally turned around.

A year can make a big difference.

And I want you to repeat that over and over if you are in a financial black hole.

A year can make a big difference.

A year ago I was on food stamps, on the verge of losing my home, and relying heavily on help from other people.

But now?

Now things are much different.

Much better.

They aren’t perfect.

It’s not like we are rolling around in bags of money.

But my husband has had steady work since November.

Hallelujah!

And he just started a great new job. And that happened totally randomly.

Out of nowhere.

Completely unexpected.

So we are in a much better place  now because the work situation has changed.

And because we were miraculously granted a modification on our mortgage in April after being denied repeatedly for over a year.

We have cut back on pretty much everything that isn’t necessary.

We don’t have cable. We switched to a much less expensive cell phone provider (Republic Wireless — totally worth it).  My husband has a company car and we only own one vehicle. So we only have one vehicle to insure.

We still don’t ever go out to eat and we don’t buy new clothes for the kids and the grocery budget is pretty small and we live on a pretty tight budget.

And I am working my butt off too, and we have saved up and put aside enough money where, for the first time in about five years, we are in a position to be able to do some fun things with the kids.

So tomorrow I’m going on a road trip with the younger kids to Hershey, Pennsylvania where Number 3 has a baseball tournament this weekend.

And on Friday we are going to Hershey Park with the other families on the team.

And I’m excited.

I’m also kind of scared shitless to take Number 3 through 7 on a road trip and to an amusement park by myself, but that’s a whole different blog post.

But my point is that things will get better.

I don’t know how they will get better for you and how you will get to that point, but you will get there if you believe things will change.

Because when you least expect it, they will.

You just need to stay the course and keep telling yourself that this isn’t forever.

Because it isn’t.

Tough times don’t last. Tough people do.

So you will do what you need to do.  Whatever that is.

Ask for help when you need it.

Accept help when you are given it.

And keep reminding yourself that things will get better.

It may take one or two or three years.

But things will get better.

And when they do, you will look back on everything you went through and realize you are a stronger, wiser, happier, less judgmental, and more empathetic person because of it.

This shit you are going through now may seem like the end of the world.

But it could just be the beginning.

Stay the course!

Things will get better.