My Titles...Quilter/Creator, Mom of 5, Homeschooler, Homesteader

As I sit down to write this I'm met with a black wall. This familiar black wall of zero creativity. It always seems to appear after I've been overworked, stressed, and under rested.

As a mom of 5 children under the age of 9, I am met with constant crying, fighting, messes, and meals from the moment they awaken until it is time for bed.

As a homeschooling mom, I am met with the challenges of teaching children who refuse to learn and fight back at least a few times a week. And while creativity is accepted and praised, it often comes at a high cost of complete chaos to the house and yard. A constant battle to pick up and keep our home and yard clean.  

As a homesteader, the needs of the garden beckon me. Weeding, watering, planting, and caring for the animals take their toll on my body and pain becomes my constant foe. Why is it that I have to do this? I could just buy vegetables, fruit, and eggs. But there is something about it that calls me to keep doing it. To keep pushing through despite the challenges. To have those fresh picked strawberries, fresh bouquet of roses, and meal made from my own plot of land, that is just pure bliss. 

And as a artist and quilter, the time to create often falls short.  But anything worthwhile is often fraught with challenges. The responsibilities of running a business with keeping up with social media, writing, editing photos and videos take so much of my time. Then there is what designs to make, what fabrics to use, and how I want the quilt to feel in the end constantly swirl through my mind. How do I want to communicate with color and shapes? I feel like my best use of language is the unspoken communication of art through quilting.  So many ideas are waiting patiently to be created. It is exciting yet frustrating because it all happens so slowly. But great progress happens with slow little wins over a long period of time.

As I finish writing I am realizing that despite the challenges and frustrations I am met with it is because of my full life. The fullness of living out my dreams.

Just because we desire to live out our purpose and dreams doesn't mean that life will be easy and without challenge. Even though we have hardship, there is a deep contentment of doing the things we were called to do. We must take time to thank God for all the many blessings we have whether small or large and keep pressing on toward our dreams.