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My heart longs to be the person that is already living out their passion or at the very least has an idea of what that is.
But I don’t, and I have always felt like a bit of a late-bloomer when it comes to all that passion stuff. I am a couple of years away from forty and I've always heard that in your early thirties you become comfortable in your own skin. You discover your sweet spot. Well, here I am at 38 and I am just starting the journey of finding and living out my passions. Seven years ago, I “officially” began the journey of finding my strengths and desiring to discover my passion, but it has only been recently that they are coming to the surface. (Making me feel a bit late in my book. :)) Finding your passion in your early thirties or before sounds beautiful doesn't it? But that period of time would have found me in survival mode with 4 kids five and under, physical exhaustion, hormonal imbalance, and in our first year of homeschooling. To say the least, finding my sweet spot wasn't at the top of my priority list during that season. I tend to be impatient when it comes to physical or personal growth. I also love to observe, which often leads to comparing myself to others who have already discovered their passion. I then become envious and internally frustrated that I don't have a “passion”. (Cue: anxiety.) This mix of impatience, comparison, and frustration was prominent in my life for several years. But here's what I have learned over the past few years; this journey is unique just as I am unique. I am enough right now doing exactly what I am doing. Some people will find their passion early in life and some much later. Some will be able to live out passion after passion while others will not, but that is where the beauty lies; in YOUR story. You need only compare yourself to what has been placed in your heart and live that fully. Once you get to this place, finding your passion becomes much easier and living fully is the natural progression. It has taken years for me to come to peace with the journey and the timeline on which this journey is unfolding, but I trust that He has a plan and purpose for the timing and I keep learning, growing, and taking the next step. I don't know where you are on your journey right now, but what I do know is that you are exactly where you need to be and you are enough. I am living out my dream of motherhood and being a wife, and lately there has also been a desire to create, lead, and share my story. I'm not entirely sure what that looks like in this season. I am still learning how this all fits together, but the exploration process has been challenging and fulfilling. Most mornings I read a chapter from A Gracious Space by Julie Bogart. This morning I read chapter 29 and this spoke to my heart, "In fact, my sense of personhood, identity, and self-knowledge have grown more through mothering than any business I've started, any degree I've earned, and relationship I've pursued…" Being a mom is a beautiful place to be and I couldn't agree with Julie more that the lessons learned are like none other. So, if you’re a mom who’s not quite ready or needing to find another passion, then just remember that what you are doing right now is so valuable and so important. Things will come together at the right time. Simply take that quote for example. After I quickly typed out the thoughts on my heart, I had my quiet time and this is what I found, "Gideon powerfully defeated an oppressive army vastly outnumbering his own because of the power of God working through him. God longs to fill you and empower you today. He longs to conquer the works of the enemy that oppress those he loves through you. Meet with God today. Allow him to call out the greatness he has placed within you. Allow him to guide you into battles only he could win that you might bring his kingdom to earth all around you. May you be filled with his love, grace, and power today as you open your heart and spend time communing with your heavenly Father." Self-care action - What makes you unique? What are your strengths? What is special about your family and how you live life? Write these down and anything else that comes to mind and read them daily for a week. Let them sink in and you will be well on your way to living passionately. As always, if you would like someone to walk with you on this journey you can check out my coaching packages here. 
Humble Roots was an enjoyable read. I loved the beautiful glimpse she gave into their sweet country life, this of course coming from a girl that has always romanticized about country living… maybe someday. :) Her stories about country life alone would have been enjoyable for me, but her content was beautiful as well. I love how she wove nature into each chapter; the lovely sketches, the chapter names, and the stories that were told, it all felt very grounding.
There were a couple spots where I felt like she went off topic and I didn't see the connection to humble roots, but even so, the conversation was still engaging and thought-provoking. The theme that has lingered with me since I finished the book is how beautiful humility really is. True humility causes us to gratefully open up our hands (our control) knowing that it is all from Him anyway. This speaks directly to my heart because although I have labeled myself as easy going, I have a strong desire to control the little circle of my life much more than I care to admit. A few of the things I underlined: "pride manifests itself in anxiety and restlessness; and how humility frees us from the cycle of stress, performance, and competition." "Learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart…" "Something rich and restful. Something true and beautiful. Something that will lead us to flourishing and peace." "When we believe that with enough effort, enough organization, or enough commitment, we can fix things that are broken, we set ourselves in God's place. And when we do, we reap stress, restlessness, and anxiety." I would definitely recommend this book if you are in a place where you desire to release control and are curious about what this kind of humility might look like. This releasing of control… because really, I was never in control anyway. I won't claim that this book allowed me to reach that spot, but it got me thinking and pondering. I now have a frequent reminder of what humility looks like, a true understanding of my place in His kingdom - living out the strengths He has given me in this beautiful life. As always, you are enough and can create a beautiful life unique to your family, Julie *Disclosure: I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website. Your purchase helps support my work in bringing you real information. Please note that you will not pay more by clicking on my link. The price will be the same.  Hey there, grab a cup of coffee, enjoy some quiet time, and welcome into our day. Now that it is winter and the days are darker I wake up around 6:30, a bit later than my ideal, but good for this season. While my mocha heats up I often light a candle, get a blanket, and then settle into my quiet time spot on the couch to have my Bible/Prayer time. Next, I write for 5 minutes. I love this ritual because it allows me to process anything from the day before or what lies ahead, allowing me to clear my mind. If I have time before the kids wake up I go through email and sometimes read a book. The kids are also sleeping later this winter, so I stay in my quiet space until they are up and moving sometime between 7:00 & 8:00. The kiddos get up at varying times, but they need to be ready for the day and done with chores by 9:00. At 9:00 we gather at the dining room table for our group morning time, each child brings something to do while I read out loud. (legos, coloring, dolls hair to braid, etc.) We start with prayer, work on a memory verse (we just finished Psalm 1), say our blessing and then I read aloud. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays we read a historical fiction or history book. On Thursdays we have Poetry tea time and Friday is our nature day. We are members of Wild Explorers Club and although we haven't been going through the lessons as quickly as I would have hoped, we are enjoying so many wonderful hikes with good friends on Fridays. And in my book, that totally counts as nature day. My older two girls are mostly independent with their school. One chooses to get most of her school done before 9:00 and then saves her reading for rest time, and our oldest usually does all of her school after group time. The little two switch back and forth, some mornings they spend the time before 9:00 playing and other times they want to get school done. We go with the flow on this. We are usually done with our core school by 11:00, we then do a quick pick up of the house, and the older girls finish school, read, or practice the piano. This is their free time. Two days a week my older two make lunch and we typically eat around 12:00 and complete any clean up so we are ready for rest time at 1:00. Rest time is a key to my sanity. I am an introvert and somewhat of a lower energy person (not type A) so this down time in the middle of the day is a key piece of soul care for me. We have rest time on most days from 1:00-3:00. The kids read, listen to audible, practice instruments, play with Legos, dolls, etc. This is their downtime as well as mine. This is essential in our house and a huge blessing for me. Rest time has needed to be a lot more flexible this year as we have added some extra activities, but we still benefit from the downtime. Depending on the day, you will find us at music lessons, art class, STEAM class, and horse riding. One of my favorite things about homeschooling is the flexibility we have to pursue and strengthen their passions. After rest time we have free time, sometimes they play outside, or play games inside, or just hang out with each other. We eat around 5:30, then we do our night chores and kitchen clean up to get the house in order and then my favorite time of the day - read aloud time. Right now we are reading The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Prisoner's Dilemma, the 3rd book in the Mysterious Benedict's Society. Everyone is in their rooms between 8:00-8:30, although sometimes this is closer to 7:30 if the younger ones seem extra tired. Each child has a special cuddle night of the week that they get special one-on-one time with me. I usually practice piano and/or guitar from 8:00-8:45 and then start gearing for bed. If my hubby is home, we hang out and chat or read a book together. If he is gone I usually have an early night of reading in our room. And then the cycle continues. There are always slight variations to our day, but I thrive on routine so our days typically have a similar flow. Thanks so much for joining me on our day. As always, you are enough and can create a beautiful life unique to your family, Julie |
AuthorHey, I'm Julie. I love books, coffee shops, traveling, and exploring. Homeschooling Mama to 4, wife of 15 years. Enjoying the journey and learning to add a bit more of summer into my everyday life. Archives
February 2017
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