My Last Year

This thing has been dormant forever.  Craziness.  But the years have gone on, the kiddos have gotten bigger, and their words have become more powerful and expressive.  I have two tiny humans living with me, and I am responsible for them.  Thank you Lord.

In the midst of diapers, potties, peanut butter, and playtime...my own life has transformed.  I am Mommy.  I have been Mommy for over 5 years.  I always wanted to be a mom and stay home with my kids and help shape who they are.  That desire hasn't changed, and I am even taking on more responsibility with plans to homeschool my son for kindergarten next year.  My days start with the patter of little feet down the hall and end when I lay my head down on my own pillow at night hoping that no one needs a drink of water at 2am.  While my family completes me and fills my heart with so much joy, as the kids get older they don't need me quite so much.  What am I supposed to do when I have those moments to myself because my kids can play together now and the oldest one can pretty much take care of himself?  What am I passionate about now that my life has been about those little souls for the past 5 years?

Last year I turned 30.  Rather than feeling like my life had already peaked and everything was down hill and wrinkles from there, I felt a growing sense of empowerment.  I've found that a funny thing happens when you get older.  You just don't stinking care anymore about what people think.   Don't get me wrong, I desperately care about how my family, friends, and my God view me.  But I also know they love me enough to tell me if I'm being irrational or just plain foolish.  And they will continue to love me in spite of those things.  Random dude at the grocery store who sees me with my disheveled children and a wrinkled t-shirt?  Don't care.  People working the McDonalds drive-thru who saw me there yesterday, and yet here I am again with exact change for another coffee?  Oh well.  Oh man, that reminds me of a time when my son was a baby and I was so desperate for a lunch that I didn't have to make that I went to Chick Fil A armed with $3 in dimes (and yes, that poor girl who had to count them out was not a fan of mine).  I cared then.  Actually...I kind of still care now.  But I think early mommyhood delirium covers a multitude of sins.

This sense of freedom led me to confidently try new things.  As many of you know, last summer I finally got the pixie cut that I had always wanted.  And you know what?  I love it.  I also started writing a book that will probably never amount to anything to anyone beyond my family.  But you know what?  That doesn't matter.  It doesn't matter if only a handful of people ever read it, because I want to finish it for myself.  I find such joy it in.  I have stepped into a leadership role among fellow moms at my church, and the Lord has blessed me through it.  He has also shown me that my passion for my own kids and family extends to other moms as well.  I may be soft spoken and generally mellow, but that doesn't mean that I can't come alongside a fellow mom...a fellow woman with the same heart and speak into her life as she does the same for mine.

That last year of doing new things for myself while still remaining passionate about my family is what led me to the Lemon Droppers.  As you can probably tell lately from my Facebook page, I have gotten a bit obsessed with essential oils.  I certainly never planned to turn into one of those people.  After using the oils for a while, and talking to other moms who used them as well, I found out that those people really weren't that different from me.  They loved their families first and foremost.  They loved the results they were seeing with essential oils.  They weren't crazy organic food eating, doctor bashing weirdos.  Heck they still got their kids fast food.  They were normal moms like me.  I never expected Young Living to be a big part of my life, and for me to want to shout from the rooftops that this stuff actually works.  These natural oils actually can help you and help your kids.   But it happened.  This skeptic was turned into a believer.  This skeptic, who still is shocked to hear her own friends tell her about the positive results they are seeing, wants to share her new passion with other women just like her.  Women who are looking to help their families on a natural path to health.  Women who are looking for a community to turn to when things get complicated and difficult.

So yeah, I'm a Lemon Dropper, and I don't intend to stop being one.  No matter where this path leads me, no matter how God will use it, it is a blessing to me.  This blog has been about my own little ones for so long (or rather, so long ago), but I think it is time to throw a bit about me into the mix as well.  God chose my little ones for me, but He also chose me and all of my strengths and weaknesses for them.  

https://vimeo.com/lindsaymoreno/lemondroppers