Living with Purpose

I remember thinking when I was pregnant about how I could possibly love another baby as much as I love Hayden. I didn't want Hayden to be sad that it wasn't just going to be him anymore and while I couldn't wait to meet Hudson, I couldn't help but feel like I was somehow going to be losing special time with Hayden.

Now, I realize that my heart just grew and they both fill every corner of it with absolute joy! I can't wait to see what their future holds, but for now I am in awe of the little everyday miracles that teach me what life is all about.

Garrett and I joined a missional community through our church at the beginning of the year and we are finishing a series called "Room for the Whole Family". What is a missional community you ask? It goes beyond a typical bible study and challenges you to pursue four elements as missional believers: worshiping Christ, living in community, getting trained for ministry and making disciples. We are called to do these things everyday, not just on Sunday.

We are part of an awesome group of people who love the Lord and love children. We all have children of our own, but we also share a desire to help other children. The series we have been doing has taught us that our life and our role as a parent should not compete for our time, but rather work together in natural rhythm.

It is so easy to get too busy to slow down and really focus on your children. I know that many times we would get home from work and just go through our nightly routine and while, yes, we were in the same house, we weren't really spending quality time together and living in community. We have learned from this and really try to focus everything we do around our family. This requires us to divert time and resources to our children, sometimes at the expense of our own desires, but that is our responsibility and our life is all the richer as a result.

I will be the first to admit that I was not overly excited about moving here. I had to give up a job that I absolutely loved and leave people that I had become dear friends with. To say that I was sad would be an understatement. Scott and Christi were the only people we knew when we moved here (and we're so glad they're here!) and I felt like I left everything that had become comfortable behind. I have struggled over the last year to really find my place and understand my purpose here.

It is obvious now that the plan that was set into motion more than a year ago is unfolding. We bought a beautiful home, found a wonderful church, met new people, had a healthy baby boy and now I have been given the opportunity to work from home and spend more time with my children. Through the tears, I have been patient in waiting, knowing that there was something bigger in store and I finally get it now.

I look forward to what each day brings and could not have chosen three better guys to live life with.