Make lemonade when life gives you lemons, the saying goes. We are all aware that this is easier said than done, but the reality is that nothing is impossible if we set our minds to it and work extremely hard for it.
Cara Brookins ended up in an abusive relationship. She left her husband, took her five children, and started over in a new house because, as a mother of five, she realized she had to protect her kids from the toxic atmosphere they were made to live in. Why did she do it? By creating all of her own construction blueprints and learning various building methods from YouTube tutorials, such as how to run a gas line, install plumbing, build a wall, and lay a foundation. Doesn’t this sound incredible?
Now that she considers it, she sees that it has indeed been impossible the entire time.
Cara, a computer programmer analyst, came up with the idea to build her family’s new home from the ground up because she couldn’t afford to buy one that would be cozy for all of her kids when she started building it in 2007.
It had the impression that “if anyone were in our shoes, they would do this,” Cara remarked. “No one else saw it this way, and now that I think about it, I realize it sounds crazy.”
She spent $20,000 on a one-acre piece of land and received a building loan for about $150,000.
Her children, the eldest of whom was 17 at the time and the youngest of whom was only 2, participated in the construction of their 3,500-square-foot house.
Since there was no running water on the property, her 11-year-old daughter Jada used buckets to transfer water from the neighbor’s pond. Her son Drew assisted her in the planning process. She then made the foundation mortar by combining it with 80-pound bags of concrete.
The youngsters would visit the location every day after school to assist with the work. This tenacious mother hired a part-time firefighter with building experience for $25 per hour to handle the most difficult tasks. He was knowledgeable in a way that we weren’t, she recalled.
The family moved into the Inkwell Manor, which was named in honor of Cara’s desire to become a writer, on March 31, 2009.
We felt ashamed that our only option was to construct our own shelter, Cara remarked. Although we weren’t really proud of it, it ended up being the best thing I could have done for myself.
She argued that if she, a 110-pound computer programmer, could construct a whole home, anyone could accomplish whatever goal they set their minds to.
Decide on a single goal and stick to it, she continued. Find the big thing you want to do, move slowly in that direction, and take those who also need healing with you. That has a lot of influence.
This tale has to be among the most amazing you’ve heard recently.
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