If you found my page and made it this far, thank you! I’m excited to share just a little more about myself. As a wife and mother of three boys, (yes, I’m in the “Boy Mom” club) I stay pretty busy just doing mom things. Laundry. Dishes. Cooking. Cleaning. The list goes on…and on. But those are not the things that fill me up. I do them because it is a sacrifice that I have to make in order to serve my family and love them well. What really fills me up is laughter, family, community, writing and speaking.

As a former non-profit fundraising professional with a degree in marketing and communications, I spent my pre-kid years doing a wide variety of things. Putting on events and producing content that hopefully compelled donors to give their time, talent and resources to the Wichita Children’s Home. I loved my job. But what I loved most was that I was passionate about the work being done there, to provide a place of safety to vulnerable children in our community. That passion was the fuel for words, both spoken and written.

When I quit my job to stay home with my first son, Sullivan, I found a deep sense of joy and love in caring for my child. But my life felt like it was missing something profound. My love for words had no outlet. I spent some of my time volunteering for a local nonprofit, doing similar work. I also found some solace in volunteering at my church, West Ridge Community Church. But there was a gap. A hole that needed filling. It took me about 4 years into being a stay-at-home-mom that I realized what I needed most to fill my heart and replenish my soul.

This was a beginning of a journey to unravel my own identity. Specifically, my identity in Christ. In becoming a mom, I forgot who I was and who I was created to be. I believed the lies that all I was created for was to be a mom and a wife. Those words began to define me in every way. My poor understanding of what it means to “lay down my life” to follow Jesus, brought me to a place of shutting down every desire to be and do things that brought me joy and peace. Rather than die to my own selfishness, I was dying to every bit of my very self.

But that is not how God created us. He created us each to have unique gifts. Gifts and passions that He gave to us for the purpose of being a light to the World and displaying His glory and goodness for all to see. Can I do that as a mom? Yes. Can I do that as a wife? Yes. Is that the only place he wants me to do that? No. Absolutely not. So how else can I be a light to the World? Well, I believe we can all do that in simple ways. In everyday interactions with one another. Through reflecting love, grace, and compassion to everyone we meet.

But I also believe God created us to create! And through our own creations, built on the goodness of God, we can display the riches of His love, the beauty of His glory, and the radiance of His holiness to the whole world. And that is why… I love to write!