They'd done it! They'd finished their dream home and settled in. There were still many projects to finish, but the largest hurdles had been cleared - so they thought.

Instead, they nearly lost everything. Instead of the promotion he'd been promised, corporate restructuring at the business where he had dedicated nearly 16 years left him without a job in the middle of the Great Recession.

He applied for job after job, only to be turned away empty-handed. He worked temporary consulting jobs when he could find them. They talked it over, and he applied to jobs further away, flying out for interviews. The housing market was depressed, so it was unlikely that they'd get fair value on their new home, but one does what one must.

Finally, when they'd just about given up hope, he was offered a position about 90 miles away. They decided he would stay near the job during the week and come home on the weekends so they could hold onto their home.

Sunday evenings came too quickly, and Fridays couldn't come quickly enough. She and their young sons did their best to make progress on the grounds, though things were rather chaotic during those years. The orchards were planted, but tree variety names were lost.

New garden beds were carved out of soil compacted by construction - at one point with the boys wielding a pickaxe that was taller than they were to break up hardpan. It wasn't exactly the idyllic homesteading childhood we'd pictured, but they were certainly learning how to work.

It was a difficult time, but they all pulled together as a family to make it through.

This is Part 3 of Letters from the Homestead, a special six-part series leading up to the Resilient Living Summit.

Looking back, it's strange to remember how uncertain those years felt. We'd put so much thought into building a home that could handle storms, power outages, bitter Wisconsin winters, and the changing needs of our family.

Losing August's job wasn't one of the things we'd planned for. It was a good reminder that resilience isn't only about the challenges you can anticipate.

Sometimes, though, resilience means recognizing that the thing you've worked so hard to hold onto can't be saved — or shouldn't be.

That's a much harder sort of adaptation. That's one reason Scott's story hit so close to home for me. The circumstances were different, but I recognized that feeling of watching the life you'd carefully built suddenly become uncertain.

Stories of Resilience: Scott Terry

In my next Stories of Resilience interview, I talk with my longtime online friend Scott Terry. Scott had spent virtually his entire life dairy farming. He loved the cows, the work, and the life his family had built around the farm. But eventually, the economics simply didn't work anymore.

Selling the herd meant losing not only his livelihood, but a way of life that had been part of his identity since childhood. At nearly 50 years old, with a wife and eight children, Scott found himself essentially starting over from scratch.

What happened next is a wonderful example of something that's easy to say and much harder to do: Adapt and change — but don't quit.

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And, as Scott's story demonstrates, sometimes the life waiting on the other side of that change looks nothing like the one you thought you were building.

Building a Life That Can Adapt

One of the lessons both our family and Scott's learned the hard way is that you can't predict which challenge will come next.

A job disappears. A business no longer works. Health changes (like our presenters Derek and Jenna Dooley dealing with a life-changing stroke). The power goes out. Food prices climb. Someone you love needs help. Sometimes the plans you've carefully made simply don't fit the life in front of you anymore.

Amber and I didn't put this summit together because we think anyone can prepare for everything. I know from experience that we can't.

We put it together because the more useful skills, knowledge, resources, and good people you have in your life, the more options you have when circumstances change.

Over six days, you'll learn from people with years of hands-on experience in preparedness, gardening, food preservation, homesteading, herbal medicine, resilient homes, family and community, and other practical skills that make everyday life a little more secure — and help when everyday life gets turned upside down.

You don't need to do everything they teach. You don't even need to want to do everything they teach.

Find the ideas that fit your family. Learn a skill you didn't have before. Discover a solution to a problem you've been struggling with. Meet people who remind you that you don't have to figure everything out alone.

Take what you need, and build from there.

The 2026 Resilient Living Summit is September 14–19, and it's completely free to attend. Each presentation will be available to watch free for 48 hours after it goes live.

Reserve your FREE Resilient Living Summit pass → https://resilientlivingsummit.com/summit-registration/​

Because, as Scott's story so clearly demonstrates, resilience isn't necessarily having the right plan. Sometimes it's knowing that when Plan A falls apart, you can figure out what comes next.

Talk soon,

Laurie