"You choose your 'busy'."

One of my very awesome friends, Autumn, said this to me a while back and it's pretty much become my mantra. 

She and I are both very driven women and have a heart for many of the same things in our lives. 

She's continued to challenge me to "choose my busy" and to say "no" to things that are not where I should be spending my time.  Being able to own the times that my heart would not be in them, the times that I really don't have the time but still want to say yes even though I shouldn't, and the times where my saying "yes" would not give others the chance to challenge themselves and grow...because I was doing something for them that they could do themselves. 

I love having friends who can hold you accountable.  I love that she loves me enough to be able to speak openly and honestly about things...and that I can hear her and listen to what she's saying from her heart. 

It's always good for me to be able to prioritize my life and have it in front of me:

• My faith
• My family
• My friends
• My vocation right now: wife, mom, daughter, photographer & graphic designer
• My ability to give back from what I've been given

It's been during the moments of pure frustration that I focus on bringing myself back to these priorities.  It isn't easy.  There are times that I need reminders.  Living my vocation isn't always fun:  from endless diapers to crying babies, to dealing with people who frustrate me to no end, being the person that frustrates others to no end, to remembering that "being right" isn't always as important as "doing the right thing"...but every single moment is needed to help me truly live out who I am supposed to be.  Without struggles, there is no progress. 

Today, I spent five hours cleaning out the boys' room in preparation for 3.0 to move in with his brothers.  It's part of our house-wide master plan of making all the rooms part of our "home" not simply our "house".  It definitely wasn't fun...but looking forward to seeing the boys' expressions when they get home will be priceless. They will love it.

So grateful for Jonathan who took them out for an awesome papa-son day and is bringing them back full of stories, joy, and dirty feet that will need to be washed.  I happen to know a mom who is getting much better at washing others' feet.  :)

And I hear their footsteps on the deck...