Good Intentions
I’m sure you know what they say about good intentions… My sister called me last night and asked what happened to my blogs. My blogs? Yes, your blogs. The ones you said you were going to write. I did? Yes, you did. You wrote a blog for The Calianna Kitchen – September 8th, 2018. 2018??? Oh, well, I’m just a little behind. Yikes.
She was right. I’ve always had a passion for writing, but life happens. It hasn’t stopped in the last two years – and as Cynthia reminded me – it’s not about to get any easier or slower. So now or never. I’m opting for now. These five little girls, their dad, pecans, our kitchen … it’s a continuous cycle of love, but a whole lot of busy. I often find time for everyone, forgetting that I need time for myself as well. Such is the story of most mama’s out there.
The last two years has been a whole lot of trial and error. As a parent, as a wife, in my kitchen, with our small business. I take pride in all of these areas. My house is never completely clean, there are always loud voices (in front of me and in my head) and staying focused on one thing is almost impossible. Matter of fact, I’m two tiny paragraphs into this blog and I’ve only stopped 654,248 times. It’s definitely progress!
When I wrote last, our youngest, Faith, was just a few days shy of 1 year old. She was walking and enjoying more time with her older sisters. In my brain, I was about to have much more time on my hands. Fast forward. Faith has been my most challenging child to date, but I try not to dwell on that as I know just how blessed I am that our five girls are healthy and thriving. A luxury not afforded to all families.
Matt always tells me, “We do what we have to do, until we can do what we want to do.” Circumstances have our family of 7 currently located in the beautiful state of North Carolina, however, it’s not Louisiana. Louisiana is where I want to be. It’s where WE want to be. It’s where our orchard is, where Grammy and Papa are, it’s where my Mama is going to be, where my girls have their cousins and it’s where Cynthia and her tiny family are. For those that missed earlier posts and blogs regarding my baby sister; she’s a mama too now! Oh my heart! Her and Colin welcomed baby Silas to the world last October. One day after my birthday. Silas and I are going to be best buddies. He doesn’t quite understand that yet, but I figure if I keep yelling, “AUNT NESSA LOVES YOU!” into my FaceTime screen, it’ll catch on.
Just a few short months after his birth Cynthia and Colin took their new little family across the country from sunny San Diego to Effie, Louisiana. Why? My guess is so we could all be together. That’s the ultimate goal. Who does that??? Who packs up their entire family just to be closer to another family? Colin and Cynthia do. That’s who. I’m certain no amount of gratitude will ever justify just how happy this makes me. My mom isn’t far behind. Then, Matt and I will have our closest family within minutes of each other. Although a nightmare for some, it’s heaven for us. It’s all we’ve ever wanted. We can’t wait for the giant family gatherings, Covid permitted of course, but that’s a whole ‘nother blog for a whole ‘nother day. Oh my…
I’m going to close up for now. Faith is standing next to me. Wide-eyed. Talking. Reminding me that it’s after noon on the clock and she’s still in her jammies. She’s living the dream and doesn’t even realize it.