Will this make me happy?

Thank you for clicking over! I know it’s been more than a hot minute since I posted anything. 

This year came in hot. My family is living in a time of transition - Barry is getting ready for a big tour with Alison Krauss -Alison Krauss tour and Marshall is getting ready to graduate high school and head off to college. So this winter we’ve had a lot of family time, hunkering down and trying to pour every bit of wisdom we can into Marshall’s brain so he’ll make ONLY right decisions in college 😉 and be prepared for all the stress, joy, fun and other emotions that come along with the college journey. 

We’ve been meeting with an independent college counselor that I can’t recommend enough. (If you have a high schooler, college student, out-of-college adult up to 30 years old or a child who just can’t decide what to do - even if they’ve tried college or trade school or work after high school you can use this program.) There are lots of programs - “challenges” within this program and I can tell you they’ve helped Marshall so much. And we’ve recommended the programs to about everyone we know and they’ve all had great success. The link is: University Ready. If you look around on the site you’ll see a Junior/Senior Consulting Plan which is what we are using this year. Through it Marshall is able to participate in so many great challenges and courses - the ACT course, a study skills course and weekly meetings with Matthew to go over things like essay writing, scholarship opportunities and scheduling classes (just to name a few of the perks). One of the most important aspects of the program is the Career prep - it’s a series of four personality and strength tests (so it’s not hard and quite fun for the student) which gives you crazy in-depth results. The results you’re sent (student as well as Mom and Dad) include all kinds of information about when your student learns best throughout the day, how your student learns best, what kind of learning environment is most conducive for your student and then the careers that most align with your student’s loves (and hates), strengths and even weaknesses. In the career results there are outlooks for the future of the careers, what it takes to get into the career and the expected income from the career. Anyway, I can’t recommend it enough and again, it’s not just for homeschoolers or college-bound students. It’s good for every student whether they’re in public or private high school, community college, trade school, university, work force or taking a Gap Year. (And you do get a free interview to make sure Matthew is a good fit for your student.)

And Barry is busy busy busy with music again which is good for the soul. He did a surprise run with the Infamous String Dusters last month which he LOVED. Getting to play with friends in new ways is always inspiring. He’s still out with Wood Box Heroes this winter and will start the AKUS tour next month. He’s gearing up for it and I will say it’s pretty different gearing up for a huge tour at 55 versus 25. 😂 Now we’re looking at portable coffee machine set-ups, multi-vitamins and supplements and art supplies for down times. Oh the life of a big-time rock-n-roller! 🤪 Barry is actually a gifted painter and I’m looking forward to seeing all the beautiful pieces he creates. (If he gives me the okay I’ll share them but generally we just have them in our home for us to enjoy.)

And then there’s me. I had lunch with my favorites yesterday - our “neighbor lunch” we call it. We’ve got four ladies who live close(ish) in the country and we range in age from late 20s to 80. My friend Betty said yesterday that when your kid goes to college he is “Doing all new and exciting things and you’re doing the same things”. So she said the key is to find new and exciting things for yourself. 

And on that note I’ve been wondering, what does bring us contentment and fulfill our hearts?

There of course are podcasts out there about that very thing and I just came across a new one from a very well-known model called “Self” and I paused at that. I mean, is that what we’re supposed to focus on? Is that what will bring us joy? 

I just don’t think so - at least for me. I can look back on my life and the 50-plus years I’ve lived and see times I’ve been most-content and seasons where I’ve felt lost and hopeless. I will say without a doubt that the times in my life that have been most fulfilling are those when I’m focusing on the needs around me - even in my home - and less on the needs of ME. As John the Baptist said in John 3:30, “He much increase, but I must decrease.”

I do believe we - as wives and moms - are called to be a light in our home and be an example of God’s love, grace, peace, contentment and joy to those around us. And I believe it is true that sometimes the most important work we do for God’s kingdom is the family we are making and sending out into the world to be successful and Godly people (please note this is not a “name it-claim it statement. God’s definition of success is oftentimes very different from our Americanized version of success and I’m speaking here about God’s definition of success for us). People who care and offer His kindness and joy to those around them. I know that as wives and moms we set the tone for the home and it matters if we exude stress and anxiety or contentment and peace. So even if I don’t feel it internally I do try to bake the bread, make the meal and serve my people well. 

And I guess that’s what I’ve been doing this winter and hope to do this spring.

Thanks for stopping by! 

Aliceson