I am really overdue for just a straight up life update. Every year I think we’re REALLY busy, and then we add something else. This year it was a coffee shop and a wellness business. So here’s the quick and dirty for what life is right now (subject to change second by second).
Cafe Tesfa. I get a lot of questions about how this is going. We bought an existing shop, Sidewalk Espresso Bar, in July. Although later than anticipated, the ball is rolling to change the name and get the training program underway. In the meantime, we are getting our “sea coffee-shop-owner legs” under us. The shop is in a residential neighborhood, so we have really enjoyed getting to know our neighbors. We wish sales were a little better but are optimistic about the possibilities. Thankfully, we inherited capable employees, so while we wish we had more time to personally work at the shop, we really aren’t there as much as one might think.
The kids. The older kids, while making progress, are still really struggling. The amount of emotional and mental energy it takes to walk them through their adjustment and healing is unfathomable until you’re in the midst of it. The fact that our life might look remotely functional to y’all outside of our household is evidence that miracle still are alive and well. We’re still homeschooling, and we have an amazing Jack Jill-of-all-Trades who comes to help provide a little stability and consistency in our house a couple days a week. The truth is that I’m still spending hours a week regulating our violently insecure child, and the presence of that amount of trauma in our house has everyone else pretty needy emotionally too. We are struggling with dreaming really big dreams with and for our kids, but still getting our brains and expectations around what their future realistically looks like. If you’re a homeschooling mom and ever feel like you’re not getting enough done, just come spend a day at our house…
Patrick. Still wants out of corporate America, but it’s paying the bills…on lots of fronts.
the Grafted. In Corkum fashion, we finally got our tax-exempt status and then our team kind of fell apart around us. We’re still passionate about it’s vision and mission and are putting minimal time in to keep the dream alive. We’re praying God would provide a new team and some new energy and possibly a way to connect this to Cafe Tesfa. Who’s feeling called?
Me. All considering, I’m doing much better now than I was about a year ago. I’m trying to find the balance of digging my heels in to help the kids heal (rather than just avoid for peace) while also knowing how to walk away in the name of not doing more damage and self-care. We’re also seeking out services from the State. That alone should tell you how desperate we are. This is actually less about “fixing” the kids and more about giving us some space…particularly from the aforementioned violently insecure child. Our journey and training in trust-based parenting has also put me in a place to walk along side other families from all over the country (and some internationally) who are walking similar journeys to us. This is the part of our journey that feels redemptive in a way only God could orchestrate, and, honestly, the thing that keeps me going most days. Finding holistic care for our family and others who I work with led me to…
<<insert name of company i work for here>>, a company that promotes holistic wellness through essential oils and other natural products. I started thinking I would share informally and hopefully just earn some free product. Over the last 6 months, sharing has turned to building a team as I shared with more and more people whose lives and families were positively impacted by thinking about wellness in a different way. It now seems possible that I could build to a point where we could do things we love (Cafe Tesfa, the Grafted, and family coaching) and leave corporate America behind. I love the tools it gives me to further support families in their journey. I never imagined that Ty’s nutrition and reduction of toxins could be so instrumental in his journey.
I will admit the time and mental margin we have left in our life is non-existent. I know that this is neither healthy nor sustainable which is why we’re dreaming BIG!