Years ago I was working in the operating room, and I had this overwhelming desire to go home and start a garden. The first crop was kale. We used it for salads, added it to hummus and made the best chips ever. But over time, raising kale became a chore. We got too busy, we tended the garden less, and the beautiful raised bed just turned into a neglected mess.

So what does this have to do with our blog? Everything.

You know what a garden plant takes to grow? Sunshine, healthy soil, water, adequate shade, proper nutrients, and the essence of time. It requires space to spread out, plant roots, and unfold its new growth. Humans aren’t much different. Besides the obvious food and water, sustenance is so much more. We crave healthy soil, a firm foundation, a place to call home. Our bodies need sunshine and dirt and room to grow. Our lungs require fresh air, just as the plants do.

Shortly after my once- thriving kale garden shriveled up and succumbed to the neglect, I did too.

I had three small kids, a (more than) full time job, a volunteer position that seemed like a part-time gig, and more commitments on the calendar than the paper space even allowed for. I said yes to everything, even though my roots were shriveling. I worked to please coworkers, colleagues and everyone else, while my babies were with someone else.

I spent days on end under fluorescent lights, forgetting what the sunset looked like, and missing out on the outdoor beauty. I showed up to events, put on a smile, and kept trucking, despite feeling like I couldn’t take a deep breath. I even got to the point where I’d gone so long without “being watered” that I forgot what refreshment even was. I finally succumbed to my environment, and like the kale, stopped growing.

The funny thing about kale (in particular, and in comparison to other crops), is that it is extremely resistant. When I tell you that this bed of kale was toast, I mean it. It was declared dead and never to have been saved. Until one day, I was off work and I decided rather than stay inside catching up on all the things, I’d go outside and re-plant the kale. So I took the three little diapered babies to the backyard, shovel and seeds in tow.

Together, we replanted good seed. We used good soil. We watered it thoroughly and even chose a new place to grow it.

As days went on, We made time to nurture it. The kids were elated that the little seedlings had popped up. We spent time picking off bugs, nurturing the plants with water, and protecting them with neem oil. Weeks went by and this habit of caring for the kale became a fun little way for the kids and I to get outside.

Can you imagine my surprise when it was growing? Can you imagine the even bigger surprise that God used this lesson in raising kale to expose the major weak points in my life?

Would you believe me if I told you that the next few years led to me retiring from my seventeen- year anesthesia career?

I said no to everyone and everything that wasn’t absolutely necessary. I armored up with the word of God, and made drastic changes that had (in hindsight) been a long time coming. We are now HOA-free, living on a homestead, homeschooling, and living the life God intended for us all along. Our roots are shooting deeper, our leaves are greener and the fruits of our labor look a whole lot healthier these days.

It’s not perfect. There’s still some undoing to be done. But it’s a beautiful, sloppy, ever-changing journey. And you’re welcome to ride along with us. Find grace here, and maybe even some humor. My prayer with this blog is that others will recognize the overwhelm in their own lives, and take steps to start throwing that off like an aphid in the garden. I never expected to go from six figures of both income and student debt, to being a full-time homesteading momma, but here we are loving it. I traded corporate life for chicken poop, and there’s something oh-so oddly satisfying about it all. I give all glory to the master gardener, the Great Physician, the redeemer of our stories, Jesus.

Slow Living

Mothering

Homesteading

Church as People / Jesus

Homeschooling

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