“Direct my footsteps according to Your word;
let no sin rule over me.” Psalm 119:133 

As I was walking this morning I noticed the sidewalk. I take this walk every day and passed by the sidewalks with each step, the similar path every day, but today I noticed them more. It rained last night and I knew that I need to be more careful, because let’s face it, I’m not always the most coordinated. I am one of those people that say to themselves, “Don’t step on that toy, don’t step on the toy, don’t you dare step on that toy,” and what would do? I trip over it. Yep, that’s me. However, most of the time I walk past the sidewalks and pay no attention to them.

Some days I count my steps 1-2 and step in each little section with the rhythm, but soon I get off because they were mismatched in size and shape and the rhythm would just fade away. Today though, I thought about how the sidewalks are similar to life. Each sidewalk is in different shapes and different stages of life so to speak. Recently there has been work done in our neighborhood and there are some brand new sidewalks. There a few places, where the sidewalks are flat, smooth, fresh and new and almost pretty to look at. I like the light gray lines on the new sidewalk, poured so nicely and made so professionally by someone who knows what they’re doing. However, not too many steps ahead there’s a sidewalk, broken in pieces or even nonexistent; actual dirt where a sidewalk used to be. (These sidewalks, of course are the culprit to my slips and almost falls.)

I began thinking while I walked about those sidewalks and the differences in each of them. Some of them have been around for a while and are still in decent shape, some covered with rocks and debris and others are shaded by trees so they stay damp and wet with lack of full sun drying them up. There are the sidewalks with not much sidewalk left, mostly dirt and others worn a little. One sidewalk looked as if it had been stamped with leaves and brown paint. It is funny how sidewalks can compare to life and the different stages within. The new brand new sidewalks could represent a new family moving in or new birth in the home; new life, a new beginning. Then, what about the tattered sidewalk? What caused it to break up and fall apart? What caused relationships and families be torn apart? What things that happened in our lives that cause us to to be little worse for the wear?

What about those who poured the sidewalks? Who poured them originally, who walked on the very first sidewalks laid in our town? What conversations occurred when they were being poured? What was the status of that person’s life at the time? Were they happy in their job and surrounded by friends and coworkers, or were they having a hard day? How many songs were listened to while they were being poured? How many people sing songs to themselves while working? Were they lonely? Would they get together with friends when they get off work or go home? Do they not have much to go home to?

I could go on and on with curiosity, but I will stop. So, what is my point? I started relating my thoughts about the sidewalk and began to think about how God meets us wherever we are at. Whether we are the brand new sidewalk or the one broken in pieces, the care of God is given to each one of us right where were at. God is such a personal and loving God. He meets me right where I am at, each day, every hour, every breath, He is there!

Just like the sidewalk, God is dependable to hold me up and give me a path to walk out every day. I’m thankful that God is my creator and He walks through life with me. No matter whether I am starting as a brand new sidewalk or living as a crumbled one, whatever has come in and out of my life, God is up there holding me keeping me on the straight path.

I pray you have the knowledge of God’s great love and power in your life. If you don’t, ask me or someone you know to let you know about all He does for each one of us! Let me see posts of your sidewalks in your town. This could be fun!

Today has been a nice day, a day I have been waiting for. I typically have Fridays off, but for some reason, today really feels like a day off. I have been domesticated today, cleaning, making homemade veggie broth (check out this link from a local farm that shared how to do this as well as a printable PDF they made), and prepping some tomatoes for freezing. My house smells amazing! The roasted tomato recipe was told to me by a friend and it is so good! It looked so pretty when I put it in the oven too. I will have to ask her if it is okay to share the recipe, but yum!

So what makes today different? God! I know most Fridays I could choose to do the same type of things, but lately I have had so much on my to-do list that I would get overwhelmed and just get a few things done.Today is no different, there are PLENTY of things to do on my to-do list, but for some reason I have had a calm about me. I know there will always be something else I need to put on the list and then check off, but today, taking time to do domestic type things like this was what I needed today.

You see, I have two jobs, which I do enjoy, but I miss being home. I was a stay at home mom most of the time my kids were little and slowly added more hours as they began to grow. This has been a transition all in itself. I have been working for my friend Amy, for 9 years today. Yep, nine years and I am still getting used to working. Ha! I recently started working as a Ministry Assistant  for our church too (which I really enjoy), so now I am gone four pretty full days.

I know many of you are thinking, “Four full days is nothing, I work way more than that.” However, for me, this has been a huge change. I have always been the mom who is home during most of the day, the mom who greets their children at the door when they return from school, the mom who could volunteer to help during the day, and so on, you get it. I am now a working mom who gets home in time to make dinner and then help us as we rush to the next activity. Rehearsals for Drama Club, Band Booster meetings, Board meetings, concerts, and so on. Our lives seem to be pretty full right now. I have adjusted pretty well, but I do miss days of less chaos, a house that is most always clean and tidy and the laundry caught up. I miss the times with my kiddos after school as they would fill me in about their day, help them through their homework and make dinner at a pleasant pace.

Working has been good for me, giving me a new sense of purpose and using the abilities God has given me in different areas of my life. I never really thought about working when my kids were younger, but I am sure I was discontent about the lonely times at home wishing for human contact above two feet tall. LOL! It is hard to remember those days though. My son is a freshman in college and my daughter a freshman in High School. Wow, time flies fast. Wasn’t I just in college a few years ago? Ehem.

So, today I am thankful for time to be in my home feeling a little like it was years ago. My house won’t be as clean as I want by the end of the day, and most likely I will be putting the sheets on the bed last minute so we can crawl in later tonight. However, I will celebrate in the veggie broth, tomatoes and the freshly cleaned sheets for today.

I was talking to my friend and “boss” yesterday about feeling overwhelmed, like I just couldn’t do anything well because I was spreading myself too thin. I wasn’t complaining, but just feeling a bit defeated and discouraged. Wouldn’t you know it, but God listened and heard my cry for some peace.Today,is God’s gift to me!  He knew I needed rest and time to recuperate. God is so awesome, that he hears even little prayers of overwhelm and discouragement. I am so thankful for a loving God who hears me and listens to my heart.

What are you thankful for this Friday?

“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.” Psalm 28:7

So, I have been trying to get myself to start writing for almost a year. Now, I spent some of that time trying to decide what I would write about, but it took almost a year to start to write. What would the words I put on the screen do for someone else? I mean, let’s face it, I am an average mom, with 2 kids, a dog and a husband. What could I write about that would be helpful, inspire, or for that matter, even be interesting? I am not the best with grammar and not typically a great storyteller, but for some reason I have had a tug on my heart to write for a long time. I am not an avid reader, but once I start reading I usually enjoy it. Recently I started listening to books on Audible and have loved it so far. I find little time in my average day to sit and read, but listening to books has been amazing.  

Wanting to grow and learn more, I decided to make listening to podcasts a priority and I am so glad I have!! I have been inspired by so many women. Many times I have a sense that I missed out somewhere along the line by not stepping up to the blogging/podcast trend years ago. If I came down to it, I would love the chance to connect with other women through the blogging world, travel and listen to speakers and learn how to better myself for life and ministry. There are so many godly women out there I can learn from and be influenced to do amazing things.

I thought about writing a blog on organization and cleaning of the home, or our journey to homesteading, which I really don’t see that happening anytime soon, though it was an attractive idea to my husband and I awhile ago, or maybe my Grubby Primitives business. There are endless ideas on what to write and talk about, but nothing was standing out to me. What was I supposed to write about? Who would be my audience? Would people even care what I wrote about? I am sure most bloggers starting out would think the same things. Or am I just too critical of myself?

One day after listening to the audiobook Breaking Busy by Ali Worthington, she said something that just allowed my brain to connect to what my purpose for blogging is. I can’t remember what she said and I will probably fill that in later, but I knew I had a reason to blog! What is it, you ask? Keep reading and I will tell you.

Recently, my son Ryan started his adventure in college. Yep. We enjoyed his Senior year, relished in every event, concert, musical, contest and more, soaking up every bit of time we had with him before he took off to school. Where did the time go? How can he already be heading to college? Wasn’t he just five years old? Seriously, the old expression “Time Flies” can feel so true in stages like these.

The transition hasn’t been too bad after dropping Ryan off to his campus a little over an hour away from our home. However, I do miss him so much. I keep telling others, “Knowing he is happy, makes it easier. I know he is where he is supposed to be and that makes it more bearable.” Though there is a little truth in that statement, I do miss him so much! Our house is much quieter without him at home. Ryan would always be singing or at least listening to music and he left a big hole in our home. I miss our talks we would have before he would leave for school or when we would both be home long enough to spend some time talking. Ryan and I would spend a lot of time talking together. He was my son first, but also my friend. His friends, were part of our lives too. My daughter Makenna and Ryan, don’t even get me started. They have such a great relationship and I am grateful, but is has been a hard transition for Makenna as well.

All of this is where the blogging with a purpose came in. I’ve read many blogs about keeping the home, trying the next recipe, how to be a mom of small children, the best homesteading and homeschooling hacks and so on. However, what do you do when your kids are older? Where do you fit in when  you have a Freshman in college and a Freshman in High School? As a mom, what is my purpose now? What should I be doing now my kids are older? Should I be doing something extraordinarily different than before? Is there a proper next step as you enter into a different stage of the adult life? This is the direction I need. How do I discover who God wants for me now my kids aren’t so dependent upon me? How can I strengthen my relationship with my spouse? What can my husband Matt and I do to help us come together closer before Makenna goes to college and leave us empty nesters? Am I really old enough to be talking about any of this?

What if there was a blog about the transition, the time where I need to “re-invent” the Stephanie I thought I was? So, this is my start. I wrote the introduction, now I need to write what’s next. I do hope you will enjoy my journey toward discovery and invite you along for the ride.

Stephanie