This is the Dahl family in early 2011. We look like we have everything going for us–the perfect family. All smiles on the outside. My husband was a chiropractor, 5 healthy, adorable kids, and I got to stay home and be super mom. I volunteered in the school, supported our PTA and participated in church activities. It was a good life, or so it appeared.
What we didn’t let people see was the brokenness and poverty of our situation. Each month, after covering overhead in his clinic, my husband brought home $1500 a month to cover our house and other bills. It was never enough. In great humility, I signed up for food stamps and medicaid for our kids. My husband’s health suffered from the financial stress of his work, so I carried a heavy burden of raising our kids on a meager budget and also trying to lift and support him. We were blessed with generous parents who mailed us some extra money here and there to help the kids get what they needed for back to school and secret angels who left food and gifts for our family at Thanksgiving and Christmas. At night while my family slept, I remember crying and praying for things to change. Was this really the best life could offer? I wanted and dreamed of more.
In the spring of 2011, a couple months after this picture was taken, our oldest son, Oliver, went on a Boy Scout camp out. At the camp they showed the boys how to make “pop can stoves”, which could be used to heat water. As the scouts were huddled around the table putting the finishing touches on their stoves, a spark ignited the denatured alcohol used to fuel the stoves. This resulted in an explosion which engulfed Oliver. Very quickly, leaders jumped in and got the fire out, “stop, drop and roll” style. Oliver was burned pretty badly. My husband and Oliver jumped into the car and drove to the nearest emergency room. It could have been so much worse than it was. He had 2nd degree burns on the back of his hand and forearm and less severe burns on this face. The doctor and nurses cleaned then bandaged the burned areas and send him home with a prescription for burn cream and hydrocodone for the pain.
Within hours, we were receiving phone calls from concerned friends and family and soon cookies & brownies started showing up at our door. (Our younger kids thought that was great!) We had one friend, Darin, who brought over doTERRA essential oils. He told us that he had just purchased them and wanted to know if we would like to use them on Oliver. He left the oils and a resource book. We quickly fell in love with the oils and how they helped Oliver. The aroma, the texture, and the results were far superior to anything else we had ever used. It changed our world.
Within a week I went to an essential oil class, fell deeper in love with doTERRA and bought my own set of essential oils. With these essential oils/tools, I felt empowered as a mother. I had my own challenges I wanted to address. So I did. After I had my own amazing experiences, I did what most women do–Talk!! I wanted to share doTERRA’s essential oils with the world! As I did, our family’s finances started to improve and I began developing amazing relationships with amazing women.
Our life today is very different from where we were in 2011. We have more freedom with our choices for healthcare and we are teaching our kids, the next generation, another way to take care of themselves. We are living the life I dreamed of. In 2014, Eric walked away from his career in chiropractic. Now, he gets to take our kids to school in the morning and is there for them when they get home. We have created time and financial freedom and are teaching others to do the same.
We want to help others, like you, enjoy greater health and financial wellness. Do you, or someone you know, want this kind of freedom? What will your story be? Comment below to connect with us. We would love to see if we’re a fit for you.
Dahl Family. January 2017