Making an Impact

Do you ever have a memory that flashes back through your mind more than most? One of those just-such moments for me happened during my sophomore year college elementary education art class. My professor was also my assistant track coach. Just an all-around firm, yet gentle guiding figure in my life at the time. Snow-white hair. A contagious laugh. A notorious pat-on-the-back. And the daily check-in about showing up for practice that evening.

But on this particular day, he presented our class with a very though-provoking task. To create a crown. And on this crown, we were to list the roles (career, family, otherwise) in which we could foresee for ourselves in the future. A picture of this yellow, tiered crown is one that rests in my mind perfectly. And across this jeweled circle, I wrote four words:

Teacher. Wife. Mother. Writer.

I was a woman of ambition, and you better believe, I had every intention of finding myself in each of these roles. And sure enough, the years began to roll by, and months after graduation, I had landed a teaching job. Two years later, engaged to my boyfriend of four years. And one-and-a-half years later, married. Although it took steady prayers, wishing and some big life lessons in patience and faith along the way, three years later, we were blessed with a beautiful gift from above: our first daughter. I was filling my crown with jewels faster than I could have imagined. There was just one role left unfulfilled: writer.

Something that many people may not know about me is that I actually set out on my college career path as an English/Journalism major. A late-evening, tear-filled meeting with my freshman English professor, filled with weighing the pros-and-cons of Elementary Education versus English/Journalism, prompted my decision. The Elementary Education path was a much more rigorous and tightly-packed set of classes…however, if I changed my mind later, I could always pack in the classes and still graduate with an English/Journalism degree. But it never happened.

Why? Fear.

Elementary Education was a much safer career path. Teachers are a.l.w.a.y.s. needed. I had worked with kids since I was 14 and loved them! Some of my very best friends were in my classes. I was nervous to be with a group I did not know well. And what in the world would I actually do with an English/Journalism major? I didn’t know. Not knowing…that just did not fly with me. But I wasn’t quite ready to throwing away my crown just yet…

So, six-and-a-half years after graduation, when our oldest daughter made her appearance, I started a blog. To tell her story. My story. Our story. It was a pretty big hit with family and friends. They loved following along. So, 19 months later, when our middle daughter was born, I began a second blog. For moms. Full of tips, personal stories and health-centered advice. But the balance between family and work tipped the scales, and soon it sat unattended for three years.

Three years. Filled with more pre-and-postpartum anxiety than one mama can handle. Filled with ups-and-downs. Laughter and tears. And a story growing deep within my soul. So with God’s hand tightly grasping mine, I decided to share my journey with battling this anxiety and depression, in the middle of this year’s Lenten season, and my blog was reborn. Pressing the “enter” button to share my new site with my closest friends and family, and to the rest of the world on social media, was one of the scariest moments of my life.

~What would people think?

~Would they judge me?

~Would my thoughts even matter to them?

With a lot of prayer, and still holding tight His hand within mine, my mindset soon shifted…”it will impact who it is supposed to reach…” And suddenly, before I could change my mind and retract my decision to share, the “likes”, emails, texts and messages started pouring in. So many sweet friends thanking me. Telling me just how much they could relate with what I was writing. My heart was set to explode. I was finally doing what God intended for me to do. It may have taken nearly 10 years post-graduation, but I had finally found my calling as a writer.

The writing continued to flow. At first, my posts were an eclectic mix of personal stories, style, recipes and more. It felt “good”, but not “great”. I continued to pray each-and-every day, for guidance, in all areas of my life, but most especially with my writing. It is definitely a gift that God has given to me, and I wanted to make sure that I was using it as He would wish. And before I knew it, my posts became more-and-more concentrated in three basic areas…faith, motherhood and supporting women.

I had found my perfect niche as a blogger, and it didn’t just feel “good”; it felt “great”! Incredible. I feel so. very. fulfilled, using my experiences, words and unmoved beliefs in God to make an impact. In the lives of others. To serve. As a messenger. A cheerleader. A friend.

And that’s what I love about blogging. The response is immediate. An “I looove this!” or “Yes!” or “Thank you so much for sharing!” Those are the words that fill my heart to the brim. Being able to support others, build community and provoke deep-rooted thoughts about being a mom, a Christian and a kindness-promoter. Blogging offers such a p.e.r.f.e.c.t. outlet for writers of all genres, backgrounds and beliefs to share. Their thoughts. Feelings. Experiences. Livelihood. Making an impact on the world. One post at a time. And I absolutely love it.