Humbled

I am so humbled.  I just checked our mail, a job which I had neglected the last couple of days.  And amidst the bills and Census forms and other envelopes, I found an envelope addressed to Drake and I which had no return address.  Intrigued, I opened it in the car and found 2 $10 Target gift cards along with a post-it note which stated simply, "Use this money toward that bookshelf!"

It took me a second to decode the note...maybe a few seconds.  And then it all made sense.  In a previous blog post about some money struggles (namely that I do not earn a pay check despite giving my family the greatest gift of my time and attention), I had mentioned that extra money could be used toward things we need and things we want, such as a kid-friendly bookshelf that I had been eye-ing at Target.

I am utterly blown away at the generosity of this person.  And since I do not know who you are, I do know that you're a blog reader, so please consider this my personal thank you note to you.  I am completely in awe of your thoughtfulness and kindness on my behalf.  It reminds me that there are truly good people in this world, people who so freely give of themselves.  This inspires me.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you...not only for your generous anonymous gift but also for the reminder I so desperately needed.  May God bless you one thousand times over for being ever so kind.

Love,
Lauren

Sometimes I Wonder

Being a stay at home mom is absolutely the best thing I have ever done - and by "best" I mean most humbling and simultaneously most gratifying work I've ever undertaken.  I have to admit, though, that I still struggle with not bringing in an income.  I realize that I'm saving our family thousands of dollars by staying home with Thomas and giving him the gift of my time, energy, and (nearly) constant attention.  But not bringing in a pay check is difficult for me to swallow sometimes.

Why?

Well, who doesn't need/want more money?  I think we can all think of things we would spend an extra pay check on, whether it's things we need (in our case, a new car) or things we want (like that really cute shelving unit I've been eye-ing at Target).  It would give us a little more wiggle room in our budget, something we'd all enjoy. 

Within our family, Drake and I make nearly all financial decisions together, be they big or small.  He might not always be with me when I see the 70% off clearance racks of baby clothes, but we typically talk about our money spending together and make decisions as a couple.  And to be honest, I sometimes just feel (wrongly, I know) inadequate for not providing a source of income for our family.  This has led me to a few conclusions:

1. Humility is okay!  In fact, I "should" welcome it though that's more often than not quite far from the truth.

2. It really does call us to a deeper level of trust in our Lord's generosity...and that's certainly something I need to work on.

3. It gives me a golden opportunity to be more creative with what we have (and more thankful, too!) as well as more innovative in creating ways to make money here and there.  It's also a chance to be a better steward of the money we've been given, using it wisely and purposefully.

4.  And now I have just as good a motivator as ever to make that sewing machine come alive - nursing covers (and other baby gear), here we come!