There is a song out there by a group named Rascal Flatts, titled “Stand”, that has been something I have run across when sorting through my Cd’s, or just out of luck when driving along in my car.  It was actually one of the inspirations of this series, “Jumping off the Cliff”.

The beginning of the song goes like this:

“You feel like a candle in a hurricane
Just like a picture with a broken frame
Alone and helpless like you’ve lost your fight
But you’ll be alright
You’ll be alright”

Over the last few months especially I think that has been a perfect analogy for how I have felt.  It’s amazing how sometime you can relate to a song, or a feeling easily, without even trying to fit yourself into it.  Life is a whirlwind, and I have been hoping the wind stops soon.

Our family’s financial meltdown was even more severe for me as I wasn’t used to living on the edge, and was always good with the safety net.  I always maintained a “cushion”, of a few months of expenses, and would consistently panic if my checking account fell below a certain amount, that my wife always thought was very odd.  It was though an example of different backgrounds, and different ideas about money.

I was fine with credit, but it had to be limited, and I never charged something without knowing I could liquidate and pay it off tomorrow if I needed to.  So I was hit especially hard when the ability to liquidate was gone, because there was nothing left to liquidate.

So the focus of this series will have a lot do to of how the last year of my life has changed me.  How that journey to the bottom of the cliff, left me feeling , “Just like a picture with a broken frame”, and how my journey back off from Jumping off the cliff, is a process, and a journey, to reclaim myself.

So join me tomorrow for Part I.

Until then,

~Build tomorrow.