Amy over at Lemon and Raspberry has a great post today about making decisions and compromises. You should definitely go over and read it. And I'm glad she posted what she did, because the same things have been at the forefront of my mind here of late. My life has taken an incredible turn in the last few months. I have the most amazing boyfriend, whom I don't know how I ever made it before without him. And he has 4 beautiful, wonderful kids and is a single father to them (ages 16, 14, 12 & 10).
I've known David for 2 years now. And when he first started asking me out I totally blew him off. I mean, he has 4 kids! I'm not equipped for that. I'm 31, never been married, no kids and a pretty independent gal living the lifestyle that I want for myself. But he is darn persistent and I finally gave in. And I finally spent time with his kids. And I fell in love. With all of them. The whole bunch. And I now find the majority of my time spent doing things for them or with them - being a cheerleader at baseball games, taking the girls shopping, attending concerts and graduations. This is not the life I had envisioned for myself. I tend to be selfish. I want the life I want. I want to do the things that make me happy. But, all of a sudden, here I am the happiest I've ever been. I didn't know I could get so much joy from having a family. I didn't know my life could be this amazing! And I never in a million years thought that this was the plan God would have laid out for me.
So, with all that said, it brings me to what Amy was talking about on her post - compromises and decisions. For the first time in my life I am realizing what is truly important - and that is not my Coach purses or fancy vacations or all the other things I thought made me happy. It's family and love and time spent with those you care the most about. We are in the process of making some BIG decisions (I will blog about some of those later) and because of those decisions, my lifestyle will be altered dramatically. I've had to decide if making these decisions is worth what I'm giving up VS what I'm gaining. In my heart the answer is a resounding yes. I know that everything I'm gaining far outweighs some of those things I may have to give up. And honestly, I'm more excited than I've ever been in my life! I can't wait to share it with you as the days and months and projects become a little more clear!
So, this wasn't at all what I had planned on posting about today. But after a long and hot weekend at the ball field watching the youngest play ball - and the pure excitement I felt as he hit a home run... I was the proudest person in the park (well, other than his Dad), it just reinforced that I am at the right place at the right time in my life. As David and I held hands in the car, listening to 'our song' and the kids chattered away in the backseat, I honestly had tears in my eyes because my life could not be any more perfect.
Sappy - I know. And I'm not a sappy person - at all! But, my life has taken a new path. And I can't wait to see where it leads!
Lots of love...
~Manda Jane~
Yes ma'am to this entire post! I probably would've headed for the hills if I were you and saw him coming with four kids. LOL. But way you talk about your family...I can tell that your heart is happy. The happiest/luckiest/most blessed people are those who know when and how to compromise. Good luck girlfriend!
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