First of all, I know that I said in June that I would not take 2 months to blog again, instead I took 6! That's just how life goes sometimes and the things we really want to do seem to take a back seat to the "busy" things of life. Summer is hard to find time because I spend every sunny day except for Sunday at the pool with my little minnow, Miss Maddy.
Then the fall kicked off and it was just as busy! I finally really got started on my little side business, Presley Lane, which I am in love with. I will update you in another blog on Presley Lane, its a story of its own. That fall followed up with a Northplace Staff Retreat, the Texas State Fair (the first time we had been since we've lived here), and Halloween!
All of the Staff at Grimaldi's Pizza (Minus Pastor Bryan who was preaching at TBN)
My favorite Pastor's Wives in the entire world!
Trick-or-Treating!
Texas State Fair 2010
Now its Winter... Thanksgiving and Christmas have both come and gone, my Presley Lane Open House has happened and we are standing in the present! You are pretty much up to date, not really but lets just pretend for a little while that you know all of the funny stories that I will try to update you on later and pictures to go along with them.
As I was praying this morning, I thought, "Isn't it funny how our lives change drastically from the pictures that we perfectly paint in our heads?"
In college I had this mural of my life painted in my head, it was so vivid and detailed. I knew every part and and corner of it. I knew what it would look like from year to year, season to season... Isn't it funny how that mural has been smeared, and bumped, and maybe even torn here and there, BUT the end result is even more perfect than I could have ever painted by myself in the first place?
If you would have asked me in high school or my freshman year of college to tell you what my life would have looked like at age 26 I probably would have answered something like, "I want to be an executive or director at a creative business firm, own my event design business, or I'm still thinking about being a lawyer from day to day, just don't tell my dad." I knew I wanted to be married and have children, but didn't think much about the when or what it would look like and I also had dreams of living in New York in a beautiful loft apartment.
Looking at my life today, I would not change one thing. Now, it has taken pulling, tugging, and releasing old dreams to pick up new desires that were probably buried deep down all along, I just didn't know they were there.
I struggled for a long time with staying home with Maddy, feeling like I had given up a piece of who I was, the "business woman". I know its so silly to write and hear, I'm actually laughing at myself as I type... Anyways. God is such an amazing painter. He knew all along, and here I was doubting, whining, and complaining about my little ole life and poor me (Thankfully I had an understanding husband who listened and prayed with me during this very trying time too!). When here He had this wonderful new mural painted for me. It might not look like the one I had painted, He might have added a few brushed strokes, and life might have added some new colors, but its incredible.
Chris Tomlin has a song called, "I will rise" and it says:
"There's a peace I've come to know
Though my heart and flesh my fail
There's an anchor for my soul
I can say, It is well..."
As I write this morning, I love my life and the complete peace I have in it. I'm thankful that I do not have to be in complete control or have every season planned out. I'm thankful for the opportunities that God is opening every day for me and know that they are only from Him. I am so glad that I GET to stay home with Maddy and watch her grow into the beautiful little girl that she is... She is not a baby any more, and pretty soon she won't be a little girl, so I am beyond grateful for these times.
I never thought I would lay in bed at night dreaming of headbands, hats, and beautiful flower designs with feathers and rhinestones, but for now thats my life! Designing for Presley Lane while playing doctor and secret spies with my almost 3 year old, and then recording receipts and doing taxes after bedtime. Its perfect.
So today, wherever you are, don't stare at your mural thinking you need to start completely over. Start where you are, but let God have the paint brush.
You don't be in control, it will be alright, because He is.
