Coffee Gal Calling Back: Be Intentional

Well, its Friday Monday, and I am getting this post out late because sometimes life catches you by surprise...and deadlines become moot.

Anyway, today is the first installment in the CoffeeGal: Calling Back series.

Its been hard to think about where to start, so let's start at the very beginning.....(Go ahead Tiffany...sing away girl).

I've always been a "romantic" domestic. I have always loved the idea of staying home, raising kids, keeping house. I dreamed of sleeping babies; delicious homemade dinners; obedient children; lovely parties set in a clean, home decorated by Pottery Barn...

However, I couldn’t ever get my ideas and reality to matchup in those early baby years.

This was (is) especially true when I compared myself to others who seemed to live their lives seamlessly. 

There came a point in my life (soon after child #2 was born) when I began to get a hunch that the appearance of having it all together didn't really indicate reality. 

So I began to look around and really observe the women around me who were exceptional homemakers, wives, mothers and friends. After almost a year, I came to an interesting conclusion.

The women I observed were independently different: Some had lots of money, some had none. Some had an eye for decor, some didn’t. Some had amazing organizational skills, others had to work at them. Each were uniquely gifted, but these ladies all had one very important thing in common:

They were all intentional.

Intentional with their time.

Intentional in their relationships.

Intentional with their words.

Intentional with their homes.

Intentional in pursuit of the Lord.

These women were intentional in the way they went about their lives. They had a sense of purpose. In this way it didn't really matter how their homes were decorated, or how yummy the dinner tasted. What mattered is that you left their home feeling like you didn't really want to leave.

It was then that I decided this was the key: Don't be worried about what you don't have but be intentional with what you've got.

So, I looked around at what I had and decided to go from there. We had just purchased our first house, a modest home (with horrendous pink carpet), a sweet little family and a handful of friends and neighbors that I loved. I had used furniture, a small backyard, and heart that was willing. 

With these in hand, I realized that my wants weren't all that sophisticated.

In a chaotic world, I wanted my home to be peaceful. I wanted my home to be a place that my family could relax. A place the The Mister would look forward to coming home to at night.

I wanted those who visited my home to feel like they could come and be at ease; to take their shoes off and have a soft place to land. 

This was where my first steps in being intentional took place.

Running a household and being domestic doesn't come from being particularly gifted, or talented or self-disciplined. It isn’t from having an eye for decor, or a well padded budget. Being hospitable and running a home stems from a desire to be intentional with the things that God has purposed me to do, and with the desires of my heart. 

I couldn’t start CoffeeGal: Calling Back without being clear about my humble beginnings. In part because there are a few of you who read this blog that lived those early years with me...as we stumbled (and sometimes failed) together trying to figure it all out...but i also want to start in this place because living isn’t just about a beautiful home and cute kids. Its about actively, purposefully, intentionally pursuing the desires of my heart. 

Even when sometimes they don’t look exactly how I thought it would...

Being intentional isn’t about getting your way, or forcing your hand. Its all about clearly setting about something you desire to do, or have, or be. 

Being intentional has served me well in more than just housekeeping and hospitality. It has helped as we have moved from place to place; it has helped as I have raised my children; it has been pivotal in communication with that hunk of man I am privileged to call The Mister...My Mister. It has helped in long distant relationships, and most importantly in my pursuit of God.

With that said, next time I will write about how I decided to be intentional with the kids regarding Family Traditions...and how it turned out differently (but better!) than I thought it would.

La Vida Dulce!