I have always had a big imagination…. As a young girl, I remembered laying on the grass looking up at the beautiful Kentucky sky. Our family beagle, protector of the yard, sauntered over and laid down next to me. Our beagle’s world was our neighborhood and everyone loved him. He would walk around every day on the same routine to the houses he knew would give him a treat and a pat on the head. He was content in his endeavor for food and affection.
There had to be something more out there waiting for me to experience. Talking out loud, our dog could assuredly understand my ramblings. Wrapping my arms around his neck, he was content listening to my musings about the exotic places ready to be explored. There was a determination in my heart to find out what was beyond my sheltered existence. How could I know where my life would actually lead me? A small town girl raised in eastern Kentucky in a family with four other siblings. My father worked in a steel mill, and we lived a relatively simple life. So many wonderful memories of swimming in creeks, riding my bicycle, camping, church picnics, sleigh riding, family reunions….events you cannot put a price on. My father was called to preach in my early teens. He would haul all of us in our wood paneled station wagon to his first church in the countryside bordering a cow farm.
After graduating from high school, my aunt allowed me to live with her in Cincinnati, Ohio. The city gave me a taste of being somewhere completely different. She later moved to new area beside a Jewish synagogue in a quaint community where I sampled my first bagel. So, I decided it was time to head off to college. Receiving a bachelor’s degree in interior design gave me a sense of accomplishment in achieving one of my goals.
My next objective was working and living in the Washington, DC area. The pace of life was nonstop, and I worked hard to better myself. Yes, I got to travel to other countries for pleasure, and was blessed to be part of some incredible church based mission trips. Kenya, Dominican Republic, Barbados were some of the incredible church work trips I was a part. My desires changed, and I began to feel restless and wanted a slower way of life. All the buses, trains, traffic, flying to cities for business meetings, bringing work home after working long hours, and apartment living made me think more about leaving the city life.
I met someone through my church and we decided to move to the south after we got married. Columbia, South Carolina became our new place to call home. We got a dog, and after I became pregnant we rented a home. Being a stay at home mother to my daughter was so fulfilling. Going from suits and a briefcase to baking cookies for school events, chaperoning school trips, dance and orchestra practices, recitals and visiting the local zoo became my new norm. Talk about a paradigm shift. Raising my daughter in church and teaching her about God was a priority to me. Many hours were spent reading bible stories and many other wonderful books. Our nightly prayer time was so precious to me. We bought an old Charleston style home which needed a lot of fixing up. Gardening also became a passion since the yard was almost an acre. The yard had a large Magnolia tree along with Gardenias, Crepe Myrtles, fruit trees, hydrangeas, and Bamboos. Rabbits and other animals kept eating on our vegetable garden, but we enjoyed what was left over. Sweltering heat during the summers, mosquitoes eating you alive, battles with fire ants, and avoiding poison oak, is not for the faint of heart.
My daughter and I moved to Knoxville, Tennessee this past fall. Life took a big unexpected turn and changes had to be made. It was a bold move to sell our family home and start over. So here we are in a new city and trying to find our way. I have always made notes to myself to have a little semblance of being organized. It is time to take what is my heart and thoughts, make plans, and move in a a forward direction.
What dreams are left for me? I am beginning to muster up my courage again to find out! Stay tuned.
LIVING DIVINELY 