I wish I had realized sooner that there were many simple things I could have done right from the beginning of residency to start building a support system for myself. For a long time I pridefully tried to do most things on my own. It took me much too long to realize I needed to allow others to help me, and at the very least let them be aware of my life and struggles, so they could have greater compassion and understanding for my shortcomings. Having this support system earlier on would have made my life a lot less stressed and blessed our entire family.
I want to talk today about having a Church family
Our family is blessed to have a strong supportive system through our church.
The first non OMFS contact I made in our new home was a member of our church. We made a trip to house hunt a month before we moved and she and her husband invited us over to answer questions we had about the area. She knew nothing about us and she invited us into her home anyway. That meant so much to both of us and they were beyond helpful in us ultimately deciding where to live. During our first year, those I knew from church were my biggest support and I wouldn't have gotten through that year without them. They spoiled me on my first birthday in our new home. They helped me with my 2 year old at church and passed on much needed winter clothes that we didn't have yet. They brought me meals long after my baby was born and they gave us the inside scoop to our new city. They are people we will never forget.
My church family also gave me a place to focus my attention. There were people in our city and church family that were much worse off than us and it gave me a chance to serve and think of others. It helped me to not focus on how hard things were for me all the time. As busy and difficult as things were for me, I was happiest when I was serving. I was very limited in the things I could do, but there was always something I could do to serve others and my church family gave me opportunities to serve I wouldn't have had anywhere else.
Our church family has also been a blessing to my children. When my youngest was just over a year he came down with a condition that required a short hospital stay. I had to stay overnight with him and it was impossible for my husband to take time off for our oldest. Thankfully we had a friend who was so willing to watch our little boy even though it was last minute (I actually had multiple amazing friends offer). I remember chatting with the doctor the next day and talking to him about how my husband was in residency, so he knew we had only lived there a short while. He asked how it was we knew someone so quickly that we felt comfortable leaving our child with them. I told him church.
Its then that I realized that not everyone has a church family they can rely on and how blessed we were to be a part of such a wonderful support system.
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