Stacking Wood
I have been applying monthly for a business grant specifically for women entrepreneurs. The application instructs you to write about “the woman (or women) behind your business”. I realize, I have been applying as the woman (singular) behind LOMH, but I am often reminded there are 4 amazing, young women (plural) just as central to this endeavor as I am.
(...and one brawny, devoted man, but that’s for another blog!)
My deepest motivation for starting my own business is probably the same as many “mom-prenuers”; to meet the financial needs of my family while working alongside them rather than away from them.
I am a Registered Nurse; a profession I take great pride in, with a community of colleagues I am humbled and honored to serve alongside. I have worked hard to pursue the education and certification necessary for advancement in my career, and have been blessed to have some success climbing the corporate ladder.
While I believe it is important for my daughters to see their mom pursuing continuing education, and being successful in the corporate realm, my heart aches for more time with them. So now, they are watching me learn and work towards a new goal; creating a successful, family business.
About 2 ½ years ago, we adopted our daughter, Kayley, from Bulgaria. She was 12 years old. Older child adoption brings a unique set of challenges. Coupled with the language and cultural barriers of an international adoption, our family was stretched and tested in ways we could have never fully prepared for...and while Kayley has integrated into the family beautifully, bonding continues to be difficult for her and I at times.
The other day, she offered to help me move some wood down by the barn. I loaded the wood in a wheelbarrow, brought it to the wood rack, and dumped it out. Then, she stacked it in the rack while I went back for another load. Back and forth we went...this simple act of handing off...a repetitive dance of give and take. Each exchange, she would laugh at me struggling with the heavy wheelbarrow, and I would compliment her on the thoughtful precision with which she stacked the logs. I realized we were accomplishing more than a mere farm chore.
Sure, we were enjoying each other's company and the satisfaction of that towering rack of skillfully, stacked wood...but something deeper was being shared between us. I think there was significance in my going away and coming back, again and again...a new type of parental rhythm for her. And I marveled at her eagerness and cheerful attitude about this mundane task. She made the work fun and light-hearted. She gave me a grateful spirit and child-like energy!
Perhaps it is not so much about the “women behind the business”, as it is about the experience of starting the business, and how that is shaping the women. I have been hyper-focused on all the things that need to get done to get this business off the ground. My sights have been set on the end game, but God is quickly giving me eyes to see that I AM the present, impactful mother I long to be - even in the little moments happening now!
Just as each of those neatly stacked pieces of wood contributed to the impressive, completed project, so am I learning to treasure the moments of this entrepreneurial journey, and not miss them in pursuit of the finished product.