The crispness of the fall air was a dead give away to what lie in store for me today.

The bus has come and gone to carry my babes away. Most parents are joyful and happy today, not me. I just put on a good face. We try to get our children closer to the door every day by teaching them about life, money and other things. But the reality of the season, is rough on this mother’s heart.

Mimi, my other mom, says there is nothing sadder than a kindergartner’s face in a school bus window leaving your driveway. A profound statement, isn’t it? The only thing I’ve found sadder is a first and a fourth grader’s face, leaving in a bus window. Next year, with any luck, it will topped by a second and fifth grader’s face, and so on.

The past ten years have been intense. Grams, my mom, has always wished that the intensity found in the season of raising a family could be spread out over a lifetime, in order to enjoy it more. But alas, my friends, this isn’t God’s design. So today I sip my coffee while I pet a couple of silly kittens and wonder…Where do I go from here?

Who am I separate from my kids? A child of God. Hallelujah ! Ben’s wife (what a blessing). This home’s economics expert (thanks to Dave Ramsey). A runner (well kinda). A bluegrass rhythm guitarist (cough cough). A good neighbor and friend (hopefully). And a writer of simple things (thanks for reading).

Glory be. In a few seconds I’ve come up with relationships that need nurturing, budgets to balance, meals to plan, miles to run, an old dusty guitar that needs struming and a keyboard needing stokes. In a few seconds I’ve made myself feel better about this new season in my life by counting my blessings and drinking in the goodness of change. Life, in what ever season, is good isn’t it?

What season of life are you in?

Simply!

Sis

On vacation Ben got me this T-shirt. I say ‘Ben got it for me’ because I am way too cheap to pay $25 for a t-shirt for myself. Even though I love everything thing about and even got caught saying once, “If I ever see another Bed and Breakfast t-shirt I’m going to buy it.”

I saw another (not on clearance this time, dang it), choked when I saw the price and cried when Ben insisted on getting it. I guess he figures since he has another woman  my love affair is with cast iron and cooking outdoors seem minimal and I needed this t-shirt.

Like all good things, Jake…

and the ”Life Is Good” wear, was built on a simple idea…

 I love it.

Before I married Ben, the Marine, I told him, “I don’t care what you do for a living. Pump gas for all I care. Just come home happy.”

God bless him, he does.

In my opinion, God designed everyone to do something. He gave everyone a passion. A passion is where you go to work and do what you do and when you come home you feel like you never went to work. If you are not working in your passion, you should be working toward working in your passion.

I love to garden, cook, write, and nurture those around me. Ben working in his passions allows me to work in mine. We go together like potatoes and carrots.

Simple ideas turn into dreams. Dreams turn into meager starts. LIG wear was started by two brothers spreading good vibes by selling t-shirts from the van they were living in at the time. (You can read about it here.)  Throw in a little (or a lot) of perseverance and presto…your life can be good too.

Ben feels (for the most part) his job allows him to pursue his passion. When he comes home, he is happy. When he leaves again to play his banjo in a gig somewhere and comes home late, and has to get up early, he is happy.

That’s passion.

However, if he got a phone call tomorrow to play his banjo full time, he would really be happy. (Yes, you can email me with offers. I’m he’s agent. sis at reclaimsimplcity dot com)

In the mean time…Life is good. 

I have a t-shirt to prove it.

Simply,

Sis

PS ~ Check out this website http://www.48days.com/ for my info about pursuing your passions.