A Place to Dream

Do you know that place where stress, fear, and anxiety overwhelm your ability to process? That place where you are no longer able to stay present in the moment?  Where your dreams just don't hold the hope you once found there, and the moment you are in threatens to define all the rest? I would imagine most of us have found ourselves there in moments or even seasons of our lives.  Our craving for connected relationship, and for purpose are so intricately woven into our very core, that to lose them is to find our very foundation shaken.  I heard musician and author Andrew Peterson say in a recent interview with Charles Smith, "If the baseline conversation in our home is about A. our belovedness, and B. about the fact that no matter what your gifting is there is a welcome seat at the table of God's kingdom for you, then your kids are just going to kind of flourish.  I just think that is the soil that the plants grow best in....that down to the deepest level of who they are is a delight to God, so that what they have to give is good and beautiful ...then it allows them to grow into who they are going to grow into."

How my soul is drawn to such an offering even in my adulthood.  The deepest part of me still longs to be seen as beloved and to be valued in what I have to offer.  Isn't that the heart of purpose, that what God has placed in me is good to bring value to the world and glory to His name.  This is the heart of what I long to offer to my children.  They are so very loved and what they have to offer is good and beautiful.   And from that place they can dream.  

Even during the Covid lockdown I have seen a need for spaces that feel safe and inviting.  We have used bed canopies and meditation pillows in our home to create quiet spots to refocus and destress.  I continue to be gently reminded of the need to see the interruption in life as opportunities to hear God's direction.  And from a peaceful place of belovedness, we find the space to be our very best, to dream of what we have to offer, and to hope that in connectedness and purpose we find value and life.  

As we delight in being in the woods this week, I see before me how the Minis thrive in this beautiful expression of the heart of our God, in the open space to slow down and be present.  And I am reminded in my own heart how fear and anxiety clamor so loudly with their threats of woe, when laid before me is the reminder that God is so much bigger.  My belovedness and value in Him is never shaken.  And because of that my hope is secure. 

More than an adventure...

Do you want to know a secret?  ----  It's really not about order, it's all about the people.  Someone asked me the other day, "What have you learned or noticed about yourself during this pandemic?"  What a great question!!  After some thought I would say, this whole season in my life has taught me: 

1) What I thought was stable and dependable may not be. 
2) Great jobs can go away in a second. 


3) The people in my life are the most precious thing I have, and I don't want to give up time with them to make a pay check. 
4) I LOVE experiencing life with my Minis.  It has truly been the dream of my life. 

I AM AN ADVENTURER... I always have been.  Whether that means hopping on a jet for a foreign land, or taking a walk through the woods near my house, I love to explore and savor the incredible world that my Creator laid out with such extravagance before us.  One of my favorite quotes of all time comes from the incredible C.S. Lewis.  He said, in The Weight of Glory, 

“If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is not part of the Christian faith.Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak.We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

It is not that we dream to large. No, it is that our dreams are too small, and of things that will never satisfy.  Henry David Thoreau said, "I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life."  For me that mean to do all that I can to spend all the minutes I am able with the people that I love the most.  Deuteronomy 6 reminds us, the greatest lessons about our God are shared in living life together. 

As I am embarking on this place of new beginnings, seeking order in our lives means two things. First, it is clearing the cob webs to make mental and emotional space to grow and be, both for myself and for the Minis.  Our minds and hearts can be cluttered by a cluttered environment, and it keeps us from letting our hearts and minds soar, to explore with wonder what God may be leading us to.  And secondly, out of this place of order and structure, we can quickly say yes to the opportunities or adventures that appear before us, whenever they may come.  Sometimes it is large adventures.  Last summer found us on the road for 3 weeks and over 3500 miles!!  That is not an unusual adventure for us.  Sometimes it is a hike up the hill from our house.  I want to be ready to jump on those opportunities as well. Or to say "YES!" when a friend needs a last minute playdate and the space to decompress.  Or to host our friends from out of state and showcase the beauty all around us.  Our space and order allows us to quickly say "YES!"  and offer accommodations and hospitality to go with it.  These are the things that make my heart soar.  I am pretty sure there is a travel trailer, and miles and miles of untraveled road ahead of us.  Traveling with children is a whole different ballgame. The past 9 years and 4 children have taught me so many tricks.  I can't wait to share with you our adventures from the road when that time comes. For now, we prepare! 

 And I have space to say, "YES!!!"  to my daughter when she wants a hiking date with Mommy.  



To say, "YES!" to my son when he wants his turn to scale the mountain with Mommy as well. 




To enjoy precious moments with friends on an unexpected afternoon playdate.  I love when our property is swarming with little ones.  We photographed a first haircut, soared in the disc swing, and raced around the "track."  

A few weeks ago we had the privilege of hosting precious friends who stayed with us for nearly a week.  We had a combined 11 children between us.  Yes, you read that right. ELEVEN!!!!  We planned meals, already had bedrooms arranged, bathrooms were ready for guest before we ever knew of their plans to visit, and a day trip is a breeze when you are used to preparing for weeks of travel with kids.  OK, so maybe it wasn't all a breeze, we did have ELEVEN children, but it was a week I cannot wait to repeat.   We drove to the top of Pikes Peak in a snow storm, explored the vibrant colors of the painted mines, and scaled the magnificent rocks of Garden of the Gods. 








Stick we us as we continue to learn about creating space in our home and our life, both for our hearts and minds to soar, and to be ready to say YES to the next adventure we are presented with.  If you are looking to travel with littles I have so much to share!!  We are Mollie and the Minis, and we are on the Adventure!  

New Beginnings on the Horizon

I have known for years that my journey was going to reach a point of significant change.  I found myself in the throws of labor; that place where you think it might be too much to survive, anticipating with hope that gift that will make it all worth it.  Today, I find myself holding a gift that I did not anticipate, starting over, alone.  To be honest, I am still grieving the dream I have chosen to stop clenching.  The uncertainty ahead can feel overwhelming at times.  I have learned to reach for encouragement and support from my most trusted places and not to seek direction from those who are not truly invested in my life.  My sweet friend posted a quote from the Grace Encounter that I have held close to my heart these many weeks... "The thing is ... the human brain is extremely evolved for connection and relationship - you were never supposed to learn to be alone with pain and stress.  Needing emotional safety and support isn't something wrong with you - It's the sign of something deeply RIGHT with you."  So I invite you to join with me on this journey and reach for a place that is safe, a place of support, to allow yourself to dream again.  

That is where I find myself today - DREAMING!! I have allowed myself to remember what stirred my heart long ago and how my growing, healthier self would allow that dream to take flight.   I am starting fresh and making room for myself to thrive.  And in this raw and bumpy process, I am finding the space to be a better me all the way around.  That means I am showing up in a way I am more at peace with as a mom, a friend, an entrepreneur.   Some days that means being honest about the sad or the fear.  It means I keep my deeply held truth in front of me when I can't see the path.  It means finding joy and blessing in the little moments that fill up my days.   

I love serving the people in my life!!!  I love adventure and spontaneity!!!  I love food, and cooking, decorating and creating beauty!!! And I love, order, structure, and a clean house and car.  That might sound like the picture of conflicting desires.  But in reality, I have come to find that the more organized and at peace I am, the easier it is to jump on a spontaneous adventure and relish in it!  Embracing this new adventure has meant all kinds of reorganization.  It has been interesting to hear the Minis talk about how much they like it.  The simplifying, the freshness, how easy it is to find their toys, the extra space to breath and allow their own dreams to soar.  That is so important for me to impart to them, the courage to allow their own dreams to soar.  So although we don't know the full shape of the adventure ahead of us, we are spending our days getting ready.  

The Minis and I are seeking what is on the horizon; preparing for the adventure we know is building. Over the next few weeks I want to share with you some of what has been making our life more organized and at peace. Organizing the house. Pairing down.  Meal planning. Budgeting.  Creating a place where we are less weighed down. A place where our hearts can soar.  A place where we are ready to jump in our Beast of a van and take you on the road with us!  Get ready!  We are!  We are Mollie and The Minis.  

Look for the easy ways we have reorganized our home next.  Spoiler alert, even the minis love it.  

COMMENT:  Share with me what you would really dream for your life if you were not afraid to let your dreams soar.