An Invitation to Intentional Living

Last year as I rounded the bases towards my 35th Birthday I realized how quickly I had become unhappy with my life.  Being able to stay home for 8 years now, oh sure, I was glad for my husband, children, and stay at home status, but I found that any sense of joy or purpose was missing from my life. 

After praying I realized that I was living my life without a sense of intention.  I was missing the purpose, the reasoning, the feelings, the savoriness of life.

Often times I was too busy rushing through the day to day to realize the beauty of the gift of a single day here on earth.  I was hustling to get dinner on the table without enjoying the food, eating without enjoying a meal. 

So at 35 I decided not to waste another day.  I would enjoy every day.  Even the bad ones.  Even the horrible ones.  I would find something to enjoy.

In this journey I have discovered more joy than I ever thought possible.  God has opened my eyes to what a gift life truly is.  How a pretty set table really does make the food taste better.  How amazing it is that leaves turn up in a storm to collect rain.  How incredible it all is, working together.

See, I have spent my life thinking there was something wrong with me.  I've always been the girl (now the 35 year old girl) who could do all things okay-ish, but not one thing particularly, whoopee-well. 

I always assumed God had made a mistake with me.  Well, that or that there must be something out there I would be great at if only I could discover what that is (coal mining, perhaps?). 

I felt incomplete.  I felt lost, until one week I got away to examine my life.  It's amazing when you sit in a place and talk with God and just listen.  He sure laid a lot on my heart.  I finally felt that I understood what He was trying to do with my life, how He was using me with all of my okay-ish gifts. 

See, I'm good at all of these things in order to love and serve my family simply through living intentionally.

I may never be able to bake well enough to own my own bakery but I do an alright job of it to surprise our children with cookies, cupcakes, and doughnuts I baked for them for Valentine's Day. 

I may never be a professional party planner but I can plan a pretty great all out American Girl themed birthday party for our little girl to make her feel valued and treasured. 

And that's why I'm here. 

On this earth, I'm here to love my family through serving them.  To live intentionally to provide them memories, love, affection, and protection that will smother them with God's love so they'll be equipped to go out in this world and know how loved they are. 

And I'm at this computer to help you do the same for your family.  To help you learn how to bake a cake, wrap a gift, teach latin, whatever.  But to walk with you down a path leading to intention and joy through serving and loving our families. 

I invite you to start living intentionally for the Lord.  To look for his goodness in this world.  To love through serving your family.

And if you want to follow along with my journey, I'd love to have you for a friend and we can make mistakes together. 

After all,

The joy is in our journey!

Making the Every Day the Everything

Last week my uncle passed away.  It's been a whirlwind of family in town, memorial services, moving furniture, cleaning, crying, and more.

And in those times is when family is reiterated as being the most sacred of all blessings God gives us here on Earth. 

Where would we be without our tribe to hold us all up collectively?

My extended family is amazing.  We all seem to get it, we all laugh about the same things and more.

And when I come home from funerals and look around at the life Wit and I have been blessed with around these two blessings of ours, I'm astounded by how it all is going by so quickly.

Like a blink it will all be over.

I was on Facebook a couple of days ago and while their intent is not to inspire me, I have a few friends who post photos of their children all.the.time. And while for others it may be annoying, for me it is inspiring. 

I think at times when you have babies and toddlers around it is easy to see things as exciting and photo worthy.  But then the play-doh's been played with so much it's not fun to take the pictures.  And the sledding's been done so many times you are convinced you'll remember them on your own, you don't need to soak it in.

But you all remind me to relish the small things, to soak in the moments in the every day.  I want to remember it all so I can look back and see that these every day moments that just could have gone by unnoticed amidst the laundry and the cleaning and dishes, these every day moments are everything in life.  Aren't these moments why I wanted to be a mother?  Aren't these moments the ones who define who I am as a caregiver and nurturer?

And so, after seeing my friends posting pictures of their kids eating a donut in the backseat, or giggling after a bubble bath, inspired, I set off to capture my own every day moments.  To preserve them in photographs to commit to memory time and time again.

May I not forget the mornings where the snowstorm raged outside while the tangles in dolls hair laid flat and we giggled and swapped outfits on dolls.

May I not forget the excitement of pieces being put together and constructed into something that has been dreamt of for a year.  Of a toy saved for and cherished, of the learning moments through frustration and toil.  May I remember it all. 

And so you Momma's on social media, please keep posting your photos. 

You inspire me. 

To take my every day and to once again pick up my camera, put down my laundry basket, and to stop and see my everything around me.

I thank you for helping me get back to the root of what is important.