A Single Year

It is November 27th, 2012 and as I sit here in the Ice Cream shop I think about where we have been in the last year.  It's a quiet day today, gloomy and cloudy and in the 40'ish temperature-wise....in other words, lots of time for reflection while I tend to very few customers.  It's amazing to me how much we have learned as a family through this business in the last year. From scheduling to taxes to ordering and keeping everyone accountable. Some Joe and I already had some experience in but it's a little different when managing a 'family' business.  Mostly, I have learned that I am not always right and that the opinions and suggestions of my family members and husband are invaluable and I need to listen.

I am also a little sad today. Joe had a heart attack almost 2 weeks ago and a lot has changed in how we view things in our lives and what is important. Yes, it's important to go to work, pay your bills, advertise to create more customers and keep our business growing but first we must take care of ourselves..a good friend said this to us the day Joe had his heart attack.  I didn't realize the burden Joe was feeling to make this little cute Ice Cream Shop become a success or at least pay for itself.  I see that I was quite selfish because I felt like I was doing my part in my job, providing the insurance and my part of the housework, bill paying, child-rearing. Wrong. Little did I realize that the more I stressed out I became at my job, the more it put pressure on Joe to do a better job of doing everything here and home.

The day Joe had his heart attack we both thought there was a chance that he may not make it through the heart cath when he got to Huntsville Hospital....that changes a person, inside and outside..and everyone around them.

It may take us a while to get to where we need to be as a family, which is part of growing and changing that we forever are doing.  I have faith that we will get there and accept the fact that it will be a hard road full of crying and self doubt and looking in different directions to find the answers.  I do know that Ice Cream will be a big part of it for now because we have a dream to finish.

~Kat