Seeds Watered

When Brent and I finally decided that we could take the leap to single income, I had one year left to work toward being vested in my retirement. Basically, if I quit before that year, then I would not receive any of the money I had been contributing for the last nine years. So I continued working for one very, very long year. January 31 of 2014 was my last day of the required ten years. I would love to say that I finished out the year with my students, but I could not waste one more single day away from my kids. So at the beginning of the school year, I gave a 6 month notice to my principle - plenty of time for him to find a qualified teacher to finish out the year. And he did!

I cannot begin to describe the roller coaster of emotions that followed my departure from full time teaching to full time motherhood. Elation, thankfulness, and anxiousness were at the top. I knew this was where I was supposed to be, but I had no idea what it should look like. God had opened a door, and we had walked through it. But we also had no idea where it would lead.

As I found my place in the stay-at-home-motherhood world, I began to thrive, spiritually, emotionally and physically. I had never planned to be a stay-at-home mom, but I quickly realized it was a calling on my life. Everything I did was an opportunity for learning and growth. I had my education and experience in the classroom to help me as I navigated parenting and I had the time and energy to learn the things I didn’t yet understand.

Most importantly, I found a relationship with Christ. It was during this time that I began to truly understand salvation, sanctification and purpose. And it was during this time that God began to awaken in me the passion He had set in my heart. It took me a while to catch on though!

Beginning around 2015, I began to understand that I had a passion for women, especially those who were broken and hurting. I began telling my story and moms and wives began reaching out to me, asking for help, advice, and even just conversation. I found that moms and wives craved connection and encouragement, and whenever I was able to encourage one of these women, I felt energized and excited! As I grew in this little coffee ministry, I began to realize that it wasn’t my story that was important - it was God’s. I began to understand that God had given me a passion and a purpose, but I really had no idea what that meant or how it would look.

Searching

In 2019, my kids were out of elementary school and becoming more independent. I began to long for more, and we decided that it was time for me to start looking for a part time job. Brent and I agreed that it needed to be something flexible so that I could continue to keep the kids and our family a top priority. So I began searching for a job that would allow me flexibility and keep me interested. I tried some different things out and nothing fit. We eventually realized that I needed something that would fulfill my passions as well. In a data or task driven job, I would slowly die.

So we shifted gears. I would go back to school for a counseling degree. Counseling has always been a goal of mine. When I got my education degree, my plan was to go back for either a counseling or administrative degree and move out of the classroom. I knew at this point that I did not want to be back in schools. My heart was not for kids, but for their moms. So I started on the road to a counseling degree. A few semesters in, I realized that counseling wasn’t actually what I wanted to do. When I started college in 1995, school counseling was basically the only career for someone who had passions like mine. But when I looked around in 2020, I saw that the world had opened up and there were so many more career options. As I learned about counseling, I also found out about coaching. And when I compared to two, I realized that what I wanted to do was coach. I wanted to empower and encourage women.

So I quit yet another endeavor and started on yet another path. I began to feel like I was in an endless search for my purpose. But I trudged on, if for no other reason that I needed to accomplish something! Anything at this point! I got my coaching certification and began to define my niche; who would I work with? I kept getting drawn to mothers and parenting. But I kept moving away from that. I did not want to sit around and tell parents how to change a diaper or set a sleep or feeding schedule or even teach about discipline strategies. It just felt too institutional, stale. I needed passion. I needed to see the light in people’s eyes. I needed to see lives changed. So I said, okay God, what is it that I’m supposed to do?

The Shift

That’s when things began to turn around. I had asked for help. So, I decided that I would walk through whatever doors opened and let God sort it out. I put my trust in Him and began working on strengthening my faith. Two things happened.

First, I shared my goal with my small group. When I did, one of the women told me about a coach in our area and gave me her contact information. When I reached out to her, she connected me with a group of coaches who meet regularly to support each other.

Second, I remembered the words of a great friend, just start adding value to people. We had been talking about building a business, but the words struck me differently when I thought about them again. I reached out to a local ministry and offered to teach parenting classes as a volunteer.

This is when things began to change. I had community and I was adding value.