say yes

Wow guys, you are blowing me away! The responses to my last post has been tremendously positive and encouraging. You WANT to hear about the hard. You WANT me to show you the mountains and the valleys. And you aren’t mad that I hid my heart for so long. All I can say is: thank you.

It’s now November, and it’s hard to believe that this year is almost over. There’s been ups and downs this last year, but the constant has been God’s grace, healing, and restoration in my life. I’ve learned that there is a whole lot that I don’t need to carry on my heart, that I don’t need to get so worked up about things, that my family is the most important ministry right now, that God lets us go through the hard and the hurt so we can taste the sweetness of restoration with Him, and that I can leave the dishes until tomorrow.. I know, it’s a weird list.
📷: @erinkvdonck
Since I’m now a stay-at-home-mom - I still help out with medevacs, but that’s only “part-time” when they come up - I’ve been challenged to be more present and to say YES. It’s so easy to say no to all the “extra” things that don’t exactly fit with my schedule or plans…  No, I can’t, because. I don’t want my legacy to be NO. I want to be the mom that says YES. Yes to new things; to adventures; to pink hair; to a weekend away; to having people over for a meal, yes, even at bedtime. I want to my legacy to be one of presence, and intentionality, of welcoming, and dwelling. I want to be that yes-mom so that one day when my baby asks me something and I say “no,” she’ll know that it’s for a good reason, and not just because I’m a no-mom. And I want her to know that if she comes to me, I will stop and be present with her, because it — she — is important. I read a quote recently that went something like: “Listen to the little things now, and when they are older they will share the big things; because to them, it’s all been the big things.” What a challenge!

And while I firmly believe that it’s good to say NO to things that take your focus off of Jesus and your family… you know what else I believe? Good things can happen when you say YES. And good things have happened since I started saying “yes.” It has been so fun, and so good for my heart and our family. I’ve seen and felt the results of simply letting go of a lot, putting my family first, saying YES, feeding people, being present, and leaving the dishes (guys, this is HUGE for me). The dishes will still be there tomorrow; but the moments, the memories, and the people you missed out on while you were washing up won’t be. 
Lucy Mae is ALWAYS on the move.
📷: @erinkvdonck
So leave the dishes (I’m looking at you, Erin), say yes, and be intentionally present today.



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