Deborahmichelle, as my wise aging father is fond of saying:

 IT happens--which is why we should have invested in TP stock decades ago!   

LOL   

I think of that whenever I start to get on the pity party jag about my past circumstances and it makes me laugh. 

We really do have it so much better here in the US/Canada, etc. then many people in other third world nations or under opprerssive governments--even when suffering from our own stupid and broke choices, like dh and I OR from a set of circumstances such as yours, entirely different but just as traumatic.

The goal is to focus on how good we have it despite adversity.  Very easy to say but harder to do. 

Kinda of like the New Test. story of Peter stepping out of the boat to walk on water to God/Jesus--his focus strayed from God/Jesus, and yup, he sunk like a rock! 

Excerpted from Matt. 14-33

 31Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

Or, for Jews, like Job's faithfulness to the L-rd in the stead of all that Satan did to him & his family ....  Yorus in Him, Deb

Never again will I whine about what we don't have.

Although I am well aware that millions of people in the world would be ecstatic to have the storage shed in our back yard as a home, it is different to see it through the eyes of someone who has endured the difficulties that you have and come out doing well. Words fail....

 Speaking of storage sheds as small homes:

http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/

We are leaning toward a modified version of the Z Glass, if possible to have plan modified.  We would like to expand it to 800 sq. ft.  My brother owns acreage out in Oregon...just dreaming.  We have rented for almost a year now, back in a city subdivision. 

We miss privacy.  Hearing the wind move through the treeline and pines.  The song birds.  Pheasants. Deer. Crickets and frogs. Pity party here. [:'(] 

 It isn't that atheist's don't 'believe in god', it's that they don't believe there is such a thing as god to believe in.  Whether there is a god or not (and no one knows) you should give yourself credit for being such a strong person and a wonderful parent. :)

We don't consider ourselves strong.  We took the one day, one hour, one minute at a time approach, and somehow, here we are.