Our previous pastor used to hand out simple gifts for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. One time it was a pen, there was a calendar, a devotional, and one time it was a keychain. Not a very pretty one really, but it held Proverbs 3:5-6. And truth be told, it was the first time I had read it. I mean really read it. I placed it on my bulletin board by my desk and it still sits there today.
It is my reminder.
My reminder that there is a path. That we are on a journey. That each step is just part of our story and that we should put our faith and our trust in that journey.
We should put our faith in it, even when it disappoints us.
Fast forward a few years, and that same pastor had begun putting inspirational messages out on our new church sign. Sometimes they held scripture, sometimes they were tongue and cheek. I don’t remember any of those. I only remember one. He has since told me that he has received more comments, visits and phone calls about that one sign then all of the other versions combined. It was very simple and only held two words.
It’s time.
If you ask him what he meant, he will tell you he meant nothing – it was all about what it meant to you. For me, it meant finally doing something I had been talking about and dreaming about for years. After I saw this sign – I got started and I did it. It was just the push I needed.
(Now, what I did is really all that important, but if you are interested, you can read about
here,
here,
here and
here.)
So when it was all said and done, the events that I worked my tail off on weren’t overly successful.
But I am beginning to understand now that they were just the beginning.
What I didn’t know then, and
what I wasn’t meant to know then, is that I was just laying the groundwork. It was the beginning and the foundation.
I started a blog based on a decorating business. I started a sale on a blog and a decorating business. Now, we are building a
whole new business and a whole life around this blog and this brand.
And all of the beginning stuff was the first steps down the path. And it was purposefully slow. It didn't have sharp turns or banked corners. It was a one day at a time, wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend type of path.
There have been many moments with this business / blog when I have been so discouraged and disappointed. There have been SO MANY emails that just went unanswered. Oh my goodness, a no would have been so much better. But I have keep journeying down the path. I took the approach that if I never asked, the answer could never be yes and I grew a little bit thicker of a skin.
I have done a LOT of asking.
At each disappointment, I have tried to remind myself, that is not my path. Sometimes I "boo-hoo-ed" first, but in the end, the realization came that is just wasn't meant to be.
And now, we are here today living out a part of our dream that is beyond what I could have imagined. This blog / business has become part of how we are living our life. My husband is home almost everyday. I get to work along side my husband. Our children are part of the business. Our personal life and our business are intertwined, in a good way that works for us. We are making a living AND a life doing what we love best.
And yet, I realize everything that is happening today is just a part of what is to come further down the path. Each step requires us to trust His understanding and plans.
(to read all about us living our big dream,
click here)
I am sharing all of this with you today not because I think you should take some crazy, life changing leap. I am sharing this because I now realize that
it really is all the little steps that really matter. Each step takes you one step further on your path. Whether your path becomes clearer to you in a day, a month, a year or a decade, you can trust in His understanding.
So what are you dreaming of? What really pulls at your heart? Just start a little bit. Just begin to take the few steps on the path.
Don’t be distracted by what you wish you had or be disappointed by closed doors. Recognize that those are just not part of your story.
Just start by taking one small step.
And speaking of my favorite scripture of Proverbs 3:5-6, I am guessing you might be wondering about the beautiful canvas on my mantel. A few months ago,
Jess Connoly of Naptime Dairies reached out to me and ask if I wanted to be part of her
Verse of the Year collection. I quickly said yes and had no hesitation when she asked me what my favorite scripture line would be.
She then created this beautiful canvas that is also available in this color version…
How special is that? Isn't it so pretty and look so perfect on our mantel?
You can order it in both colors in a canvas or a print with size options. There are so many other beautiful options as well in the
Verse of the Year Collection – and her whole shop - and all of them are available for a discount thanks to the kindness of the Naptime Diaries team.
(they even have an adorable
Pinterest board with styling tips!)
From now through February 28, 2015, get 25% off anything in their shop!!!!! Just use code: findinghome.
I know I say this often, but truly, thank you so much for reading. And thank you Naptime Diaries for my beautiful canvas. But, mostly thank you for the reminder that it is just one step at a time.
Our previous pastor used to hand out simple gifts for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. One time it was a pen, there was a calendar, a devotional, and one time it was a keychain. Not a very pretty one really, but it held Proverbs 3:5-6. And truth be told, it was the first time I had read it. I mean really read it. I placed it on my bulletin board by my desk and it still sits there today.
It is my reminder.
My reminder that there is a path. That we are on a journey. That each step is just part of our story and that we should put our faith and our trust in that journey.
We should put our faith in it, even when it disappoints us.
Fast forward a few years, and that same pastor had begun putting inspirational messages out on our new church sign. Sometimes they held scripture, sometimes they were tongue and cheek. I don’t remember any of those. I only remember one. He has since told me that he has received more comments, visits and phone calls about that one sign then all of the other versions combined. It was very simple and only held two words.
It’s time.
If you ask him what he meant, he will tell you he meant nothing – it was all about what it meant to you. For me, it meant finally doing something I had been talking about and dreaming about for years. After I saw this sign – I got started and I did it. It was just the push I needed.
(Now, what I did is really all that important, but if you are interested, you can read about here, here, here and here.)
So when it was all said and done, the events that I worked my tail off on weren’t overly successful.
But I am beginning to understand now that they were just the beginning.
What I didn’t know then, and what I wasn’t meant to know then, is that I was just laying the groundwork. It was the beginning and the foundation.
I started a blog based on a decorating business. I started a sale on a blog and a decorating business. Now, we are building a whole new business and a whole life around this blog and this brand.
And all of the beginning stuff was the first steps down the path. And it was purposefully slow. It didn't have sharp turns or banked corners. It was a one day at a time, wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend type of path.
There have been many moments with this business / blog when I have been so discouraged and disappointed. There have been SO MANY emails that just went unanswered. Oh my goodness, a no would have been so much better. But I have keep journeying down the path. I took the approach that if I never asked, the answer could never be yes and I grew a little bit thicker of a skin.
I have done a LOT of asking.
At each disappointment, I have tried to remind myself, that is not my path. Sometimes I "boo-hoo-ed" first, but in the end, the realization came that is just wasn't meant to be.
And now, we are here today living out a part of our dream that is beyond what I could have imagined. This blog / business has become part of how we are living our life. My husband is home almost everyday. I get to work along side my husband. Our children are part of the business. Our personal life and our business are intertwined, in a good way that works for us. We are making a living AND a life doing what we love best.
And yet, I realize everything that is happening today is just a part of what is to come further down the path. Each step requires us to trust His understanding and plans.
(to read all about us living our big dream, click here)
I am sharing all of this with you today not because I think you should take some crazy, life changing leap. I am sharing this because I now realize that it really is all the little steps that really matter. Each step takes you one step further on your path. Whether your path becomes clearer to you in a day, a month, a year or a decade, you can trust in His understanding.
So what are you dreaming of? What really pulls at your heart? Just start a little bit. Just begin to take the few steps on the path. Don’t be distracted by what you wish you had or be disappointed by closed doors. Recognize that those are just not part of your story.
Just start by taking one small step.
And speaking of my favorite scripture of Proverbs 3:5-6, I am guessing you might be wondering about the beautiful canvas on my mantel. A few months ago, Jess Connoly of Naptime Dairies reached out to me and ask if I wanted to be part of her Verse of the Year collection. I quickly said yes and had no hesitation when she asked me what my favorite scripture line would be.
She then created this beautiful canvas that is also available in this color version…
How special is that? Isn't it so pretty and look so perfect on our mantel?
You can order it in both colors in a canvas or a print with size options. There are so many other beautiful options as well in the Verse of the Year Collection – and her whole shop - and all of them are available for a discount thanks to the kindness of the Naptime Diaries team.
(they even have an adorable Pinterest board with styling tips!)
From now through February 28, 2015, get 25% off anything in their shop!!!!! Just use code: findinghome.
I know I say this often, but truly, thank you so much for reading. And thank you Naptime Diaries for my beautiful canvas. But, mostly thank you for the reminder that it is just one step at a time.
