A Worthy Life

30 days

I can't believe I did it! I made my bed for a whole month! Give or take a day or two but still! Thirty plus days of consecutive bed making is huge for this habitual bed-making slacker. I cannot tell you how this one achievement each day has helped set the stage for bigger success in so many other areas. When I wake up with something completed, I'm eager to set off to vanquish more menial and uncelebrated tasks.

While prepping for our day at the symphony, the kids were jumping on the bed to pass the time. Perfect for marking this momentous occasion!

Dance on, kiddos, dance on!

Dream maker/giver

Ten years ago he bought a friend and I dinner while guests of his family
And he became our host.

Nine and a half years ago he tried winning a carnival game for my little sister
And he became part of the family.

A few months later he gave me his email address
And he became my pen pal.

We wrote for months and months, sharing our lives
And he became a dear friend.

Eight years ago he bought me lunch and told me of his desire
And he became my suitor.

Each day he cherished and encouraged and empowered me
And he became the wind beneath my wings.

A few months into our courtship, he showered me with jewelry and gifts
And he became my sugar daddy. ;o)

Soon after he bought me a stunning engagement ring
And he became my fiance.

On our wedding day, before family and friends,
He was, once and for all, only mine, my husband.

Fast forward past the honeymoon, the notsohoneymoonanymore, four babies, three job changes, a miracle, a move, highs, lows,....

Two years ago he brought home an early surprise birthday, a camera,
And he became a well thanked hubby.

Six months ago he dutifully researched and bought me a newer, better one,
And he became the enabler to my growing passion.

Yesterday he surprised me with the desire of my heart, Photoshop,
And he became my dream maker and Dream giver.

For the past few months I have seriously considered starting my own photography business. I've practiced and researched and even ventured out with new, non-familial clients. Last week I was even commissioned to shoot a junior league hockey game. With a powerful $1700 (rented) lens attached to my camera, people easily mistook me for the {real} deal!

Besides the ability, creativity, and knowledge of knowing how to take great pictures, there are a few other necessities to taking your passion to the business level. One of such necessities was Photoshop. I longed for it. I dreamed of it. I tried winning it in a random giveaway. And yet, I knew my dream (#23) and Dream (#1) were mere shadows of reality and the probability of them ever being fulfilled in the not so far away future were slim.

So yesterday, when he, my husband, wanted to give me my birthday present early I urged him to hold onto it. I didn't know if I could muster ample excitement over another sweater or a pair of cozy pj's. He insisted and as I opened the envelope bearing the news of my gift, I started crying. Tears of joy mingled with tears overflowing from a heart that felt so unworthy of such a gift, such an investment. It was more than the physical actualization of the object of my affection, it was the realization that this man, this husband of mine, believed in me.

When he asked me to be his wife, his proposal told me he believed in me as a woman, that he knew in his heart that I would make a fine wife and mother. When he invested in my dreams, his gift told me he believes in me, believes in my ability, believes in my ideas, believes that I can do great things.

Years ago when he started to pursue me, the greatest gift he gave was the gift of confidence, helping me to believe that I had something to offer, that I was a catch worth coming after, that I could be the answer to some man's dream.

Yesterday as he continued to invest in me, his gift allows me to pursue my dreams and continue to build that confidence that I can do this, that I can use what little talents I have been given and reap a full harvest of reward.

To my husband, who continues to be the one with whom I make all my dreams and the one who helps so many of them to pass into the dimension of reality, thank you. I stepped into a world of full acceptance and continual support when our worlds collided. I am grateful, so grateful for your love.

*and now a note to address Jen's and other's concerns about who will now be homeschooling the children and cooking the meals now that the mother is fully engrossed in sewing and photo editing?!?...The first one to report for duty has the job! :O)

I planted the first of my three free trees last Saturday. I cannot express the pure, organic joy of getting my hands dirty in the earth's cool soil. After planting the tree, I was moved by the symbolism in placing it's roots deep within the ground. I stood beside the tree asking God for warm sunshine and plenty of water for the tree to thrive. I thanked Him for the roots of faith that I was firmly grounded in as a child and that have continued to grow through the years. I was overwhelmed by the growth in my family and the grow of my marriage. Yet reminded of the need to continually water both with the Word of God. I do not want to settle for early thriving and drift into later withering.

My new trees are more than a much desired landscape addition. They are to me a symbol of Psalms 1:1-3.

 1 Blessed is the man
       who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
       or stand in the way of sinners
       or sit in the seat of mockers.

 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
       and on his law he meditates day and night.

 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
       which yields its fruit in season
       and whose leaf does not wither.
       Whatever he does prospers.

101

The other day as I walked my kids to the park for what seemed like the upteenth time I felt as if another day had gotten away from me. Sure, sure, it was full of school and kids and laughter and music. But I felt like I hadn't accomplished anything new. I felt as if I wasn't challenged that day. It is becoming more and more obvious to me each day that I have to live my life on purpose, planning and scheduling the necessities to ensure there is time for small pleasures, secret dreams, and simple projects.

It is time for drastic measures. I'm re-booting my life, scheduling my time to be a better steward of it, balancing the mundane with the marvelous, and kick starting each new day with prayer and a promise. Today, and everyday, I am going to live worthy, from the small tasks of running a household to the small steps that will accomplish huge dreams.

When I think of dreams, I think of the dreams I had as a young girl. Graduating college, getting married, having four children before turning 30, owning a home, etc. Now that my old dreams have mostly been fulfilled, it's time for new ones. So today I sat down and came up with 101 new dreams. Some are huge and ambitious, borderline fantasy. Some are doable with a little planning. Some are already in the works. Some I've done before but would love a second opportunity. But each and everyone of them are mine and I am committing them to the One who has promised, "All things are possible...".

1. Start my own busniness

2. Travel to Europe

3. Publish something

4. Write a song

5. Homeschool

6. Honeymoon, again

7. Finish decorating/furnishing my mstr bedrm

8. Read all books by Charlotte Bronte

9. Run in a race

10. Blog everyday for a month

11. Refinish a piece of furniture

12. Cut my hair short

13. Photograph my parents

14. Call up a friend I haven't talked to in years

15. Go to India

16. Go on a missions trip with the family

17. Read the Bible through from Genesis to Revelation

18. Take a college course

19. Take a dance class

20. Learn to play an instrument

21. Have another baby

22. Adopt

23. Own Photoshop

24. Take hubby to an NBA/NFL game

25. Play in a volleyball tourney

26. Cook 30 days of dinners in one day

27. Karaoke

28. Go on a family bike ride

29. Sell our investment property

30. Go to a concert

31. Volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center

32. Go to every Canadian province

33. Kick my Diet Coke habit for good/30 days

34. Sell something on ebay

35. Dance in the rain

36. Give homemade gifts

37. Hire a housecleaner

38. Sponsor a missionary

39. Teach in another country

40. Go to my highschool reunion

41. Make pillows

42. Fill all the hanging frames in house with real pictures

43. Buy a piece of art

44. Landscape front yard

45. Get patio in backyard

46. Memorize a verse/week for a year

47. Go to a March Madness game

48. Meet Chris Paul ;o)

49. Wallpaper a room

50. Have pictures taken of me and hubby

51. Throw a surprise party

52. Buy a sewing machine

53. Kidnap someone for a surprise trip

54. Pray with Josh every night for one month

55. Learn to install light fixtures

56. Build a bookshelf out of old doors

57. Do 50 pushups

58. Stop driving a mommy van

59. Have a sibling live with me

60. Be a bridesmaid, again

61. Get a tattoo

62. Have a six pack (not of Diet Coke)

63. Befriend a stranger

64. Celebrate my 20th anniversary

65. Turn 30

66. Learn to do a flip in the air

67. Do the splits

68. Learn a bible verse in another language

69. Take pilates

70. Own a pet

71. Take the kids to the ocean/beach

72. Forgive and forget

73. Make my bed everyday for a month

74. Do something kind for a homeless person

75. Waterski

76. Ride a motorcycle

77. Go snowboarding/skiing

78. Get something for nothing

79. Host a family I've never met

80. Start a homeschool co-op

81. Go camping in a tent for a whole week

82. Rent an RV

83. Surf in the ocean

84. Invent something

85. Go back to the NICU

86. Walk in the woods at night, alone

87. Visit NYC

88. Have a photograph taken by me hung in a public place

89. Convince a friend to move to Canada

90. Move to another country for one year

91. Have no library fines for one year

92. Fly in a private plane

93. Fly first class

94. Kiss my hubby under the Eiffel Tower

95. Play flag football

96. Plant a vegetable garden in the backyard

97. Spend a whole day at a spa

98. Visit Quebec City

99. Figure out scoring in tennis

100. Plant a tree

101. Live worthy

What are you dreaming of today?!?