Do what you love & leave your legacy

I’ve really been thinking about my legacy lately. While it’s something that can’t be touched, it’s probably the most important “thing” I will leave behind on this earth. For such a long time, in fact, until just a few weeks ago (!!), I thought my “career” defined me. I’m a very driven person, and success is something I’ve always strived for. Then I thought about people I’ve felt have left an amazing legacy. People like my Grammie Leta (great-grandmother) who had five children and outlived two of them plus her husband. She sewed, knitted, crocheted and crafted her little heart out. I don’t think there’s a wall in my parents’ or grandparents’ house that does not have something of hers hanging on it. She dyed her own yarn to make rugs, stitched tiny stitches on beautiful quilts and  made needlepoint projects like you would not believe. Absolutely gorgeous stuff.

So, I was thinking about her and her legacy. She passed away when I was only 11, but I remember that she loved her family, poured into others’ lives, and used her God-given talents to bless others. That’s what I want my legacy to be. It doesn’t matter if I teach full-time, start my own business, or stay at home as a wife and someday a mother. (Seriously, being a stay-at-home mom is my dream job. Always has been.)

What do I love??

I love… sewing/crafting/anything you can think of that involves fabric, yarn, thread, and the hum of a sewing machine.

I am seriously, very seriously, considering opening my own Etsy shop in the next few months. Many would say, “Finally!” Although at the age of seven I was armed with a needle, thread and embroidery scissors, I have my reservations. What if no one buys anything? What if it’s too cheap? What if it’s too expensive? What if my products don’t fit my customers (or their children)? Those are silly worries… I love sewing. Like, LOVE. I am not an expert by any means. I don’t have a ruffle foot, or a zipper foot, a rotary cutter, a fancy sewing table, or a serger. I plan on investing in some of those things, but for right now I’m turning out projects on a sewing machine I inherited when my mom’s father passed away seven years ago. Sewing and crafting is a way for me to honor my family’s traditions, and I experience such joy when someone tells me her daughter feels like a “princess” in the dress I made.

Annnnnd, I need a name for this shop! (Suggestions welcome!) I have no idea where it’s going to go… but it’s exciting and it will offer me a great creative outlet.

I love… teaching, creating relationships with students, impacting their lives for the better.

I am blessed to be able to be a nanny. I can’t wait to see where the summer takes us, and I much prefer having a closer relationship by having only two “students” than having 100. Don’t get me wrong; I miss teaching in a classroom every day, but I love feeling like I’m part of their family.

I love… running. When I actually run.

Today I went on a two-mile run, on the treadmill. It reminded me that I can. (I doubted for awhile after Bataan;)). I have no races on the calendar any time soon, but just because I’ve been maintaining my weight for 2+ years doesn’t mean I can give up on what got me there! Plus, it makes me a happier wife.

Anyway, here’s something that’s in progress… hopefully soon I can offer you a link to my shop!