We The People

It's been hard for me to formulate the right words to express how I've felt over this election period. Horrified. Surprised. Worried. Sad. The words don't seem to hold enough depth to describe what is happening in our country right now.

Above who was elected and who wasn't and above the absolute tragedy that were both "campaigns," if you can even call them that, is the heartbreaking hatred that has sprung up as a result of election day. My heart breaks. My heart breaks for those who are being targeted with hate. My heart breaks for those people's parents. You guys. We are all people. It doesn't matter what you look like. What you believe. Who you love. Where you live. What your title is. We, you, I are all human beings seeking love, acceptance and freedom.

My heart is broken that I don't have the words to explain to my son. He is not yet two, so he doesn't understand, I know...but he will someday. I will teach him with fervor that women are to be valued, respected, loved. That every race is an example of how creative God is and how he celebrates that we are not all the same. Each of us is an individual. That when someone disagrees with you, it's a reminder that God gave us free will and he allows us to exercise that free will.

 All I can do is pray. Its what I've been doing since this election began. No matter who our president is, he or she needs prayer for every decision they will make.

My hope, my prayer is to teach Judah to be part of the solution and to never contribute to the hate. And to never lose hope. To never lose hope in humanity. If Jesus could never lose hope in us, I sure don't want to either. I know we can move forward. I know we can press on past the darkness. We are so much more than who is or isn't leading our country. We the People. We create, innovate, heal, learn, birth, love...we are so much more than what is being highlighted in the media right now. God created us for GREATNESS. So spread greatness.

Fulfillment

There are a few things in life that many other humans seem to enjoy, yet I never understood why. Running is one. Cooking is another. I'm sure there are more, but these are the two I can think of off the top of my head. I tried running. I downloaded an app, I went faithfully every day for maybe a month. Then I fell back into the fitness routine I feel more comfortable with: anything else.

Creamy Tortellini Soup - it was DELISH!

Then there's cooking. There are TV shows about cooking. People choose to be a chef. Yes, as a career. Most of my friends and family enjoy cooking. Yet here I was with no desire to cook and, worse, when I did dabble in it, nothing I made would hardly ever turn out. I wasn't great at timing, if one thing burned then FORGET IT I'M NEVER COOKING AGAIN! Phil enjoys cooking, but since our lifestyle has shifted since having Judah and I am working from home with him (because, c'mon, raising a baby is a full-time job people. Stay-at-home mom makes it sound like we do nothing, right?), it makes sense for me to start cooking.

Within the last few weeks, I can actually say that I've gotten enjoyment out of cooking. Say, what? I was just telling my friend Tori earlier that if you had told me I would be enjoying cooking even a month ago, I would've laughed. But, there's something to be said about putting your time and energy into something and seeing something beautiful (and, dare I say, tasty) out of it!

Now, it's not an easy feat cooking with a toddler, I'll tell you. Who decided that the fussiest time of day should also coincide with the time that dinner needs to be prepped? What the heck. Most of the time, Judah is crawling up my leg looking at me like why aren't you holding me? But I've been able to work around him or distract him with kitchen tools. It doesn't matter that by the time I'm finished cooking Judah has emptied most of the cabinets in our kitchen and undone any chore within his reach that I may have completed earlier. This is the stage of life I'm in right now and I'm working with what I have. Dinner is cooked and I actually got some fulfillment out of it -- this is big news friends.

"Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable"

I'm so grateful to have fulfillment in other areas of my life too. Being a mother, wow, how can I wrap up Judah's first year of life in one word? Fulfillment. Just like cooking, there are areas that are messy, imperfect, rushed and stressful, but the end product is so unbelievably worth it.

It seems like when Judah came along, my heart got bigger to make room for other areas in my life that I often wished were fulfilling, but weren't. This past year has also brought along starting my own business. I remember wondering if I would ever find a profession that I felt excited about, challenged me and also made me some money, because that's always nice. I joined Mary Kay six months ago and can say wholeheartedly that I've never enjoyed working so much in my life. Except, it doesn't even feel like work. It has pushed me so far out of my comfort zone (hello public speaking and presentations) and I am so thankful for that. I feel so much more confident in who I am and who I want to be. I want what I do here on earth to matter. Why not? That's why God put us here. To experience. To worship. To Live. To share our stories with others.

Some of our community - the best!

Sharing life with the community of friends we've made since moving to Warwick brings tears to my eyes when I think about it. We are building a life for Judah around quality friends in a quality town. This little town is so quaint and our community here brings me a lot of fulfillment.

Life brings seasons and I've been through my share of them. Not every season has brought me fulfillment and joy, but this one has filled my heart so completely. Here's to finding what brings you fulfillment and pouring that into every aspect of your life, even things you never saw yourself trying or enjoying!