Just Thankful for Today

A new year has begun and I’ve hardly acknowledged it. My thoughts have run wild with the potential and the prognosis for 2010 but I have sat down very little to organize it all into a memorable format for myself. So here I am 11 days into January and I am still hesitant to summarize.

Last year I saw 2009 as an open field with many possibilities. I loved that picture and I feel like I did well to not simply wander about during the year but rather to shop those possibilities and find something to do with the most important of them. I have never been one to focus on one thing and call it my niche or my “thing.” I have too many loves, too much enjoyment in trying new and different things to do with my hands. However, 2010 has found me driven in a specific direction. As if 2009’s open field has shown me where the fertile ground is and allowed me to begin plowing furrows all in one direction and with one objective. The great thing is…I can plow with many different tools. There is still variety in what I want to do and many possibilities within the structure of what I have…dare I say it…chosen to do.

Mary Mary Stationery is real in my mind and though it will be several years before it will become real to the masses, it is substantial enough of a commitment for me that I want to invest myself in it as much as I can. My family must remain the first priority for me and though I know many women have run successful businesses from their homes, I am not pushing myself to be the next millionaire mom. I am creating the foundation, laying the groundwork, turning the soil, fertilizing and planting seeds right now. I cannot ignore the harvest I hope to gain, but I am trying to keep myself patient to do the work that is unseen at this point. That doesn’t mean I won’t be selling. Indeed that is a big part of this. I have to know what it takes, what will sell, who is buying and what I can do that people will enjoy. I am simply doing it on the side. I cannot be full time at this point and I cannot do it alone. One of the first things I realized as I pondered this venture is that I will most certainly need a partner. I am praying about that and waiting for God to bring that person to light. I am not doing interviews or scanning LinkedIn for potential candidates, I’m just waiting. God knows who that person is and is preparing them just as He’s been preparing me. I am excited about the possibilities, knowing that God has someone with administrative gifts ready to partner with my creative whims.

And so the year begins. Without fanfare or fancy the clock struck 12 and I was seated around a dining table playing cards with family in Tallahassee, FL. I think I should probably stop here because Tallahassee brings up pictures and stories that I don’t have time to get into. I need to start my week. There is laundry to tackle, dishes to scorn and most importantly, children to love.

I am sitting in my new office (it’s really just the dining room because it get’s southern sun and stays warmer, has more room for me to use my mouse and the chairs are comfortable) at my laptop, their is still a bit of snow to look at but Owen is in school, Kris is working for the day and Ivan and Aron are playing together without any fighting and all of that makes me very, very thankful for today.