Many times I've heard people say, "If you would have told me __ years ago that I would be doing _________ I never would have believed you." I easily can say that of my life just five short years ago. I would not have believed it if someone had said to me:
1. You will have a four year old daughter.
2. You will have a daughter.
3. You will have labored at home, birthed in your SUV, nursed her till she was nearly three, carried her in sling nearly everywhere, and used cloth diapers!
4. You will not have a bachelors degree.
5. You will embrace a life as a wife, mom, homemaker, and afternoon baby care provider.
6. You will bake your own bread.
7. You will grow your own garden.
8. You will make your own laundry soap.
9. You will enjoy jogging.
10. You will play on a Co-Ed softball team with your husband.
11. You will take Public Transportation and advocate for it.
12. You will bike or walk to the stores you have always driven to --from the same house you've been living in (when you can).
13. You will have a blog. Yes, that blog you always tried not to have.
14. You will actually be somewhat involved in your teens' lives.
15. You will join a Moms' group and be an active part of it for four years.
16. Your deeply knitted church family will shift, people will move, and it will alter and restructure almost completely.
17. YOU will change a lot in five short years.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Where I've discovered
I am here in Mountain Home (Arkansas) where part of my earthly roots extend from and go deep. Deeper than I may ever know. I love the mountains here. They are vast and so soft on my eyes. They aren't like Nevada, or even the Smokies and that is why they are sometimes referred to as hills. But I call them mountains because they were. They are. My mom and I were driving to my favorite store around these parts and I realized that having grown up here I thought this was what the Earth looked like.
Natural. Beautiful. Mountains. Lakes. Rivers. Crystal clear waters. Bluest sky. Fresh air.
And just like that I took the seven years I lived here completely for granted. I thought I was just passing through, as it could not be my destination.
So, even though I canoed these waters and jumped off boats and bluffs in these coves. Even though I sat on these rocks looking out at lake and sky and mountain hills, I did not know the deep deep beauty of it all. The way my roots run deep here. The roots that follow streams in bare feet and gather berries and grow gardens and bear babies and wipe the sweat off of the brow again and again. The cool breeze. The one that only day of saturated sweat can close the eyes and lean back the head and feel and appreciate.
But now when I come back I can feel it. These hills moan and call and beckon. These waters rush and invite and I hear them. Like the ocean once pulled me and I did not make it quite there, I feel drawn. Not to stake new claims, but to enjoy, to appreciate. To know. This is where I came into the earth. This is where I returned for my coming of age. This is now where I hear the lost heartbeats of ancestors and feel the presence of God through His amazing and glorious creation of Earth and Sky. He knows where I am.
He knows where I've been.
He know where this is going.
And I'm so small in it all. But I'm here. And I'm trying to pay attention and listen.
These earthly roots. My unearthed roots. My roots in Him. My home with Him. This all a journey passing through. All. But not a second that isn't to be recorded or lived fully present, because this journey matters. It matters so much! It matters because it is a journey to Him, a journey with Him, the reason we were created.
I follow the sky and the horizon and feel my roots spread out wide and flow over this land and these mountains and rivers and lakes. And like a tree stretching up to sky, branches, limbs, and leaves all lifted in highest adoration to the One who I sink my roots into deep now.
To grow. To unearth. To discover who I am and where I am from.
For discovering all that it means on this journey...
Natural. Beautiful. Mountains. Lakes. Rivers. Crystal clear waters. Bluest sky. Fresh air.
And just like that I took the seven years I lived here completely for granted. I thought I was just passing through, as it could not be my destination.
So, even though I canoed these waters and jumped off boats and bluffs in these coves. Even though I sat on these rocks looking out at lake and sky and mountain hills, I did not know the deep deep beauty of it all. The way my roots run deep here. The roots that follow streams in bare feet and gather berries and grow gardens and bear babies and wipe the sweat off of the brow again and again. The cool breeze. The one that only day of saturated sweat can close the eyes and lean back the head and feel and appreciate.
But now when I come back I can feel it. These hills moan and call and beckon. These waters rush and invite and I hear them. Like the ocean once pulled me and I did not make it quite there, I feel drawn. Not to stake new claims, but to enjoy, to appreciate. To know. This is where I came into the earth. This is where I returned for my coming of age. This is now where I hear the lost heartbeats of ancestors and feel the presence of God through His amazing and glorious creation of Earth and Sky. He knows where I am.
He knows where I've been.
He know where this is going.
And I'm so small in it all. But I'm here. And I'm trying to pay attention and listen.
These earthly roots. My unearthed roots. My roots in Him. My home with Him. This all a journey passing through. All. But not a second that isn't to be recorded or lived fully present, because this journey matters. It matters so much! It matters because it is a journey to Him, a journey with Him, the reason we were created.
I follow the sky and the horizon and feel my roots spread out wide and flow over this land and these mountains and rivers and lakes. And like a tree stretching up to sky, branches, limbs, and leaves all lifted in highest adoration to the One who I sink my roots into deep now.
To grow. To unearth. To discover who I am and where I am from.
For discovering all that it means on this journey...
Friday, April 6, 2012
Friday, March 23, 2012
Honestly
As I type this it is 5:12am. I'm not usually up this early and I've been up since around 3:30am (due to a serious of unfortunate events) so I'm not sure how this post is going to turn out. I've been feeling lately though, a prompting to be more honest and open about my life onto my blog. I probably offered more of my personal thoughts on my first blog Blue Moments, but since creating Unearthed Roots with my hand crafting business in mind, I've not been as forthcoming. Or maybe I should say as in depth with how I'm perceiving and relating to my life as it is now. Blogs are tricky. You don't really know who is reading them...and not knowing who the reader is means you just have to write it out just like it is. Challenging, but in a good way. I hate to ramble, but I do that a lot, and I guess my biggest blogging fear is rambling and wasting your time. I don't want to waste time, yours or mine. So, hopefully some of what I share in the near future will be relatable, but if it isn't that's fine too. We can learn from each other. I would love to have more interaction and feedback on my blog. I love when my friends (which is you friend, reading my blog) respond. It helps me to know that this is not in vain and that you are there (here. whichever). I am humbled and amazed by the support of so many wonderful people and I feel extremely blessed an honored that you took the time to read this.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
What's New
I know that I've been busy when my mother in law (who lives 15 minutes away) calls me and asks what's new? and I start telling her and some of it is brand new news to her! So, here are some updates (well, some of these she knew of course):
Josh is also now running for the Track Team.
Brielle is playing soccer.
I am finishing my career as a leaders in MOPS (Audio/Visual is where I served this past year).
Will & I are playing softball.
I plan to sell my homemade goods at the Downtown Market starting in May.
...and I am living off of coffee and sweet Love of Jesus.
So, What's new with you?
 |
| Josh turned 16 |
 |
| Tyler turned 13 |
 |
| Brielle started Preschool |
 |
| I now have this vehicle back in my driveway (after a year without it) |
Julie & I went to a Tobymac concert |
| I read this book. |
 |
| My sister loaned me this book (love it) |
 |
| Miles comes in the afternoons now |
Josh is also now running for the Track Team.
Brielle is playing soccer.
I am finishing my career as a leaders in MOPS (Audio/Visual is where I served this past year).
Will & I are playing softball.
I plan to sell my homemade goods at the Downtown Market starting in May.
...and I am living off of coffee and sweet Love of Jesus.
So, What's new with you?
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Adoption ~perspective~
If you are on Facebook then you may have been able to follow updates to the Rathes' Adoption Blog: Worthourtime.com. It has been an incredible experience to be a part of, even just from my perspective of being a supportive friend. They have been friends of ours for almost seven years now.
When the Rathes (Grant & Amanda) first began fundraising for their adoption it was amazing to humbly realize the height of the funds that they were attempting to reach - because adoption (whether domestically or internationally) is so costly. I wanted to help them out - and since I'd just launched my Etsy Store, it seemed the best way was for me to donate 10% of all earnings to their Adoption Fund. I also sold Adoption Bracelets for $5 ($2 of that going to them). Some people actually just gave me more money for regular purchases and said, "just give the excess to the Rathes' fund." I was so amazed that during such a short time (three months?) that I was able to give them $102.40! People are so generous. People who didn't even know them would donate (sometimes a lot). It amazed me because we were all believing in something that we could not see. We had no idea how everything would eventually turn out.
And now here they are - only a few months later - with little Miles comfortably and happily in his forever home and with his Mom & Dad who love him entirely and completely.
It was a beautiful, beautiful experience to witness. To be a small part of. To hold him and know God's plans are perfect. I love it! I am able to keep him for a few weekday afternoons in the overlap of their work schedules and my heart is full of joy for it! God is so good.
That being said, my sweet sweet friend from MOPS, Mandy Avery, and her husband Terrence are currently fundraising for their Adoption. You can check out what they are doing here: http://averysadopt.blogspot.com/. And since 10% of proceeds from my Etsy shop (and outside sales) were already in the habit of going to adoption funds, I've decided to give that 10% now to the Avery family.
Praise God for adopting us into His family! Praise Him for faithfully providing couples with the means to adopt His children into their families also!
When the Rathes (Grant & Amanda) first began fundraising for their adoption it was amazing to humbly realize the height of the funds that they were attempting to reach - because adoption (whether domestically or internationally) is so costly. I wanted to help them out - and since I'd just launched my Etsy Store, it seemed the best way was for me to donate 10% of all earnings to their Adoption Fund. I also sold Adoption Bracelets for $5 ($2 of that going to them). Some people actually just gave me more money for regular purchases and said, "just give the excess to the Rathes' fund." I was so amazed that during such a short time (three months?) that I was able to give them $102.40! People are so generous. People who didn't even know them would donate (sometimes a lot). It amazed me because we were all believing in something that we could not see. We had no idea how everything would eventually turn out.
And now here they are - only a few months later - with little Miles comfortably and happily in his forever home and with his Mom & Dad who love him entirely and completely.
It was a beautiful, beautiful experience to witness. To be a small part of. To hold him and know God's plans are perfect. I love it! I am able to keep him for a few weekday afternoons in the overlap of their work schedules and my heart is full of joy for it! God is so good.
That being said, my sweet sweet friend from MOPS, Mandy Avery, and her husband Terrence are currently fundraising for their Adoption. You can check out what they are doing here: http://averysadopt.blogspot.com/. And since 10% of proceeds from my Etsy shop (and outside sales) were already in the habit of going to adoption funds, I've decided to give that 10% now to the Avery family.
Praise God for adopting us into His family! Praise Him for faithfully providing couples with the means to adopt His children into their families also!
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