I honestly don't know how parents with a busy, active household can get through life without a community to support the daily grind. Our community life started with this group of "young marrieds" and we established ourselves within our Catholic parish back in 2014. It is tremendous that we have stayed together and have stayed the course!
Here we are continuing to grow our families and continually leaning on each other for spiritual counsel, friendship and just some good ole' summer fun before the kids start another year of school.
I believe our family is thriving because we have plugged in to multiple communities from our Catholic parish to our sons' Catholic school to all the different ministries we volunteer and serve in. We have many people in our lives to help us when we struggle to juggle it all on our own. We have a sphere of influence that cares we are deeply nourished in the spiritual and also practical ways.
How do families that aren't as fortunate survive this current world? The village hustle is what I've heard it called once (shoutout to Jennifer Fulwiler). The pace of this way of life is as messy as life is unpredictable. The more your life is filled with interruptions and people randomly asking for favors is a clear indication that you are living out the village hustle. It can be chaotic but more importantly, it is life-saving in more ways than my tired mom brain can count.
So, cheers and thank God for the village hustle!