An Update From Me

This has been an incredibly tumultuous week, and I wanted to share an update with everyone who has been praying for us, checking in, sharing this page, or considering helping.

First, some good news: Mom is now settled into a new place where she has her own room, a television, and even a little refrigerator. After everything that has happened, I am very grateful to know that she is somewhere safe and being cared for.

Please continue to pray for her as she adjusts to this enormous change, and also for the people caring for her and everyone involved in helping her through this transition.

As for us, things are still very uncertain.

There are a lot of major life decisions happening at once, and emotionally this has been one of the hardest periods of my life. There are questions about my marriage, questions about where I will ultimately live, the condition of my mother's house and what will need to be done there, and the financial reality of trying to keep everything afloat while all of this is happening.

At this point, we still do not know exactly when — or even precisely how — a move to Michigan will happen. Because of that, I am being extremely careful with every dollar that has been donated. The money is not being spent simply because it is there. It will remain set aside until we know what the next steps are, unless we have an immediate bill or essential expense we simply cannot cover.

So far, $110 has been donated toward our goal. I am deeply grateful for every bit of it. At the same time, we still have a very long way to go.

I also want people to know that we are absolutely available to work right now. Our calendar is very open. Dennis is continuing to do gig work, and I am available for organizing, decluttering, packing, unpacking, downsizing, listing items for sale, product photography, and other Smart Living Skills projects. If you have been thinking about hiring me, or know someone who could use my help, this would be an especially meaningful time to reach out.

I have also been working through what to do with Smart Living Skills as my life changes. Rather than simply walking away from the client relationships I have spent years building, I have decided to maintain those relationships and create a small network of trusted professionals I can personally refer clients to when they need help I can no longer provide in Birmingham. When appropriate, those referrals may also provide a small continuing source of income for me.

There are also a few ways to help that do not require making a donation.

I recently shared my Life Management File, which is something I created to help people organize important household, financial, medical, emergency, and personal information in one place. So far, one person has reached out about it, and I would really love to get it into the hands of more people who could use it.

https://smartlivingskills.com/?page_id=1532

Another very simple way to support my business is by leaving Smart Living Skills a Google review. I recently asked for reviews and only one person has left one so far. If I have worked with you in the past, or if you know me and my work well enough to speak honestly about my reliability, character, professionalism, or the way I care for people, a review would mean a great deal. Reviews help people find and trust a small business far more than most people realize.

https://g.page/r/CQ0cxNI8jrA2EBM/review

So if you have been wondering how you can help right now, there are several ways:

• Donate if you are able
• Share this support page
• Hire us for work while our calendar is open
• Refer someone who needs organizing, packing, downsizing, or related help
• Purchase or share the Life Management File
• Leave a Google review
• And, of course, continue praying for Mom and for all of us as we navigate what comes next

I am trying very hard to make thoughtful decisions instead of making permanent choices out of fear or panic.

The hardest part right now is simply living in the uncertainty. I do not have all of the answers yet. What I do know is that I need help getting through this transition and creating enough financial breathing room to make the decisions that need to be made.

Thank you to everyone who has already reached out, prayed, donated, shared, hired me, referred someone, or simply reminded me that I am not completely alone in this.

One day and one decision at a time.