Reed and I are dreamers. When we met in high school, we were instant friends. We dated throughout high school and college with the occasional breakup along our growing up journey. However, throughout it all we stayed friends. Friends who worked hard and knew what we wanted out of life; a family & a career. In 2008, just four weeks before we said, “I do,” I found out I was being “let go” as a kitchen and bath designer at a local countertop and cabinet shop that was closing its doors. I was devastated. We had recently purchased our first home and, with the economy in shambles, I had no positive outlook for a new job. However, we trusted God and knew that He would provide. So we kept dreaming. I landed at a local, and very successful, real estate company as a receptionist and I had the opportunity to meet some wonderful people that loved and encouraged Reed and I. As great as it was there, it was a short-lived position. I was recruited by an insurance office that needed a receptionist, and offered opportunities for advancement. With the possibility of broadening my knowledge, Reed and I felt it was a great opportunity, so I accepted the position. Little did we know that I would be there 10 years, and in those ten years I would climb the office ladder. During these years we would have children, we would have loss, and we would deal with illness. But we didn’t let it cast a shadow on our dreams. We didn’t understand God’s plan, but we knew He was in control. There were times when I felt frustrated or that God had given us these dreams only to take the opportunities away. With each passing year it felt like our dreams were drifting farther and farther away. Throughout this entire time Reed was working with an electrical company where they took care of him and appreciated his work ethic and attention to detail. We were so thankful for his job stability, especially early on when I wasn’t sure where I would end up. Reed has never been one to let his pride get in the way of completing a job. You could find him sweeping a jobsite, balancing on 2x4s pulling wire, crawling in insulated attics in midsummer, or through wet crawl spaces – he is dedicated. Then 2020 came around and the world stopped. Schools, businesses, churches, government - everything shut down. The Covid-19 pandemic hit and halted everything. Because I was working in insurance, I was considered an essential worker. I was blessed to be able to continue working while many went jobless. Reed still had jobs that needed to be wired and projects still going once things were able to somewhat open back up. We did our best to balance work and homeschool, but I felt like I was failing at everything I did. It really started to weigh heavily on me, like so many others. I began to really lean into God and figure out what this meant for me and our family. The more I leaned in to God the more God leaned back. I started feeling God pulling me out of the shadows and into the light of the dreams He had planted so many years before. I felt uneasy about leaving my job. I thought I could push God away believing the timing wasn’t right. But the more I pushed Him away, the more He revealed himself to me and how the timing was perfect. When I felt like it was time to walk away from my comfortable, warm, cozy, insurance office where I had spent so much time and energy, there were tears. Lots of tears. I loved the people I worked with and the clients who I had come to befriend. When my last day came, I was both excited and terrified! I had the summer with our two kiddos to wind down and transition from being an employee to being self-employed. Once I took the plunge Reed decided it was his time to walk away and for us both, to be completely self-employed. This brought so much emotion for us both. Knowing God has had His hand throughout every detail, from the beginning when he planted the dream of owning and running our own business, we knew we would be just fine. God showed us that the time I spent going from job to job I was creating relationships with people that would, one day, be part of our growing network. This network would become clients, subcontractors, supporters, and encouragers to us during and throughout our dreaming. I would have more knowledge and be able to understand the why behind so many requirements of owning and running your own business. God knew that these details would be important for success. It has been five months, although not long in the grand scheme of things, we have been incredibly blessed. We have seen support from family, friends, neighbors, and even social media. We will continue to work hard and do what we love and together, with God’s guidance, we will keep on dreaming, just bigger dreams. Our hope and advice to anyone reading this is to do the same. Trust God, His timing, and dream! God is in fact the creator of our dreams and plants them in our hearts to begin with!
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LindsayDesigner, Wife, Mom. This will be a spot to throw out ideas, inspirations, and sketches! Join me in harnessing the creative side! ArchivesCategories |