The Number Flips Again

Today marks the 37th year of my journey in this world.  It seems impossible that I've reached this age.  I guess I always thought I'd feel so much different as I aged and while I know there is a vast difference between where I am now versus 20 years ago, I'm just not sure I feel 37.

Somehow I've been married for almost 11 years and have four beautiful kids, but it seems like just yesterday I was packing up and beginning my adult journey way down south.  In reality, 14 years have passed since I took that leap of faith, but it will always hold a special place in my heart.  That decision paved the way for my future and is a huge reason I am where I am today.

That experience taught me to lean into the uncomfortable rather than shy away and it is a lesson I have carried with me ever since.  In recent years, that lesson has been brought to the forefront of my life and this year will be no different.

As a gift to myself this year, I am making some changes in how I manage my time and the activities I pursue.  My family and non-profit will be the recipients of the majority of my time.  As we begin our fourth year of operation with From Cover to Cover, some major programs have been launched that will touch hundreds of kids.  It is going to be an exciting year and by year five, we'll be even bigger.  This is a huge accomplishment and one that fills up my bucket time and time again.  The road is never easy and I have to step out of my comfort zone quite often to get things done, but in the end I enjoy the challenge and have overcome many fears in three short years.  My heart belongs to this organization and I will be devoting a tremendous amount of time to ensuring these programs are a success.  I cannot wait for this next step to begin and love that I get to work alongside a few of my very best friends on this journey!

Our family is beginning an exciting new chapter in life soon and though there may be bumps in the road, we are all very excited.  This transition has prompted me to really think about what is important in life.  My personal goal for this next year is to focus on the positive and engage in activities and relationships that feel good and bring joy and fulfillment to my life.  I want to do my best to avoid time-sucking activities and negativity.  It is hard in this no-filter, go-go-go society, but being closer to my family and settling into a new community will likely leave me with plenty of opportunities for positive engagement.

To do this, though, I have to break some bad habits.  The biggest bad habit?  Social media.  It is a great tool, but so many times over the past 8 years or so I have wanted to break up with my Facebook account.  My time could be spent in much more productive and positive ways than flipping through that damn newsfeed.  As a gift to myself, I began my break-up with the time-sucker this week.  While I would love to do away with it all together, I need to utilize it for From Cover to Cover and my business and I enjoy being able to easily stay in touch with my family and close friends near and far.  Weaning down that account to one-third of what is was produced quite a bit of anxiety, but once it was done it was a relief.  Welcome back precious time.  I will use you wisely!

As humans, we are a work in progress.  Each year I become more and more aware of what is important and who I should spend my time investing in.  My family will always come first and I am blessed with a loving, supportive family circle.  I have also found that serving others through the non-profit brings the most fulfillment to my life.  I feel blessed to be able to recognize this and hope to spend this year focusing on what fills me up and letting go of what drags me down.

Cheers to 37!  (Only 13 years until 50!).

  

A Big Change

This summer has been filled with ups and downs.  We had some wonderful family vacations, fun adventures, and celebrated some great family milestones:  birthdays, weddings, new babies.  We made a lot of great memories and did our best to enjoy the lazy days of summer.

We also struggled through many days and spent a lot of time contemplating what the future would hold for our family.  It has not been an easy road and we have spent a great deal of time weighing the pros and cons, but at the end of the day we feel we have finally come to the right conclusion to fit our needs and it requires a major life change:  moving.  We've talked about it for what seems like forever, but now it is really happening.

Four years ago we moved to a small town in Iowa.  Back then we naively thought we had found our forever home.  It is impossible to see what the future will hold, but I have learned that forever is a REALLY long time and you just never know what God has in store for you.  In our case, we did not anticipate the challenges that would come with having children who do not fit into the mythical "box."

Our initial experience with our current school district was not a positive one and it remained a challenge for a few years.  Our oldest son didn't fit into the "box."  He has life-threatening food allergies (peanuts, tree nuts, and shellfish if you're curious) and a peanut/tree nut free classroom, as well as other accommodations, are imperative for his safety.  What should have been a simple process was not.  It was a struggle to initially get everything into place and took us into the better part of his second year in the school to finally feel his needs were being met.  Let me tell you, it is not fun to be challenged on your child's rights.  Thankfully there are federal laws in place that protect him.  I was blessed to have an educational background in this department and able to knowledgeably fight for him, as well as others who also have this disability.

Our other son does not fit into this "box" either.  His needs are much different than his brother's and even more complex.  We have struggled at home for many years and school is proving to be no different.  He, too, is protected by law to receive services and accommodations, yet it has been a struggle with the district once again.  In this case, though, we are unwilling to fight the good fight.  It is mentally and emotionally draining and in the end, we want our son to be set up for success from day one.

I wouldn't say that managing life-threatening food allergies is easy, but the measures taken are fairly cut and dry when compared to the needs of our younger son.  In the end, we have made the difficult decision to move to a district where we feel his needs will be met and he will thrive.  Additionally, all of our children will be in the same school, which is of utmost importance to us.  One HUGE added bonus?  We'll be closer to our family whose support is invaluable on this journey.

Our decision may baffle some, but it is not one we have made lightly and has been made with confidence.  What happens inside the walls of a home and behind closed doors can be very different from what the outside world sees.  It is difficult to understand someone else's journey when you are not living it.  I think these statements are true for people in all walks of life.  The greatest gift you can give someone, even if you are not in agreement with their decision, is respect.  It truly makes a difference.

One of the biggest lessons I've learned through this process is to trust your gut.  Your intuition is an amazing gift.  It is so important to remember that what's right for someone else, may not be right for you and you know what?  That's okay.

All of my life I have heard my grandmother say, "To each his own."

Oh how right she is.