gratitude

We've been busy this past week- attending 8 year-old nephews' birthday parties, tending to a very cranky baby with oral thrush, looking for a new car and making expensive visits to veterinary specialists.
If there was ever anyone to make a case for having a health emergency fund, it's our little family and the year we've had. We bought a house in the spring: in April the water pipes burst; in July the air conditioner broke down; in October the furnace broke down. We'll have to take down the big maple tree in the backyard, too before winter comes as it's rotted out in the center and will fall on the only part of the house we've renovated if it comes down.
Our truck broke down in August. A few weeks later we had a baby. We bought a new truck. A few weeks later our car broke down.
Today I took Knuckle to a specialist for a chronic limp he's had since winter. He thinks there is a genetic fracture in both of his elbows, probably requiring at least a scope if not surgery. He also listened to his heart murmur, which we thought was no big deal at first, but now it may be life threatening. He goes to a cardiologist next week.
This year has been a huge reminder of how blessed we are to have family and friends that love us. Parents who helped us move from renters to home owners, friends (and friends of friends) and family who inundated us with anything and everything we could possibly need for a new baby. Friends and family who have given up countless weekends to help us move, and work on the house, while having babies and new houses and jobs of their own. New friends we barely knew who drove to Shoppers in the middle of the night to buy us a breast pump and groceries our first week home from the hospital. Mothers and sisters sleeping over to help out, fathers running new electricity to the bathroom, new patio furniture showing up in the backyard and help coming from every direction whenever we've needed it.
Yes, we've plum cleaned out our emergency fund this year and we'll be working hard to build it back up in the months to come. I'm grateful for my upbringing and being taught to prepare for these things as much as you can.
But I'm even more grateful for our human emergency fund, and I hope we'll be able to return all the love and support we've withdrawn from it.

Thank you.