06 Apr Who Am I
I can clearly remember my excitement when, at not quite 20 years old, I started my life as a married woman. Going straight from my parent’s home to being Fernand’s wife, I was thrilled with my new position, and threw myself into this role wholeheartedly! Besides another paying job, my job was now keeper of our own home and help-meet for my man.
Two years later, I became a mother of our first beautiful daughter, and again, I was thrilled with this new position, and threw myself head first into this role wholeheartedly! My job was now keeper of our own home, help-meet for my man, and mother, all rolled into one!
Soon after, a mother of two, then three, and life was full – wonderful, and meaningful!
As is the course in life, one by one, (and not too slowly, since the first two both came into our home, as well as left, less than one year apart), our daughters left home and learned to become independent young ladies. At first, it wasn’t too difficult, because we still had one daughter at home, and I was able to start contemplating what to do with myself…
With my lifelong love of visiting and caring for people who needed assistance, I went into health care and thoroughly enjoyed it! But, and why is there always a but?, after our first two daughters were married, they started having children! Can you believe that train of events??
I can tell you, I had no problems closing up shop with my health care business while in another province, and returning to Ontario to be near my grand babies!! So, yep, I then poured myself into those babies! Now I was keeper of our home, help-meet for my man, mother of grown children, and grandmother!
When one of our daughters decided to go back to school, I gladly offered to take care of two of the grandchildren a few days per week. This was both exhausting and totally fun! Excited about this new position, I threw myself wholeheartedly into it! Now, I was enjoying being keeper of our home, help-meet for my man, mother of grown children, grandmother, and caregiver of little ones again!
Our daughter graduated (with honours, I must add!), was hired into a great position, and soon put those littles into school and daycare. Our oldest daughter and her family (with her 3 beautiful boys) moved out of the city, a little ways away. Our youngest daughter married and moved to another province (and since, has blessed us with another precious grandchild!
Complete empty-nesters, my husband and I decided to minimize, convert a school bus into an RV and live as gypsies, so that we could travel for his work, as well as to visit our expanding family.
So, wait! Was I still keeper of a home? I guess, if you can count 216 square feet of space that takes maybe 20 minutes to organize… I should be celebrating that, right?
And wait! Do I know how to be help-meet to my man? Where does he need me now? Hmm…can he handle me needing more of him, now that he is the only one home with me?
Wait! Those grown children have homes and families and schedules of their own, and live a distance away… How does this grandmother-thing work from afar?
Thus, here I sit, wondering, who am I? and where I am supposed to go from here?
I heard someone say that Moses spent the first 40 years being a somebody (son of Pharoah’s daughter, schooled by the best, and living like a prince); the next 40 years being a nobody (living in exile as a common shepherd, in a humble abode with his wife and children); and the last 40 years learning that God works with nobodies (taken out of his role as shepherd of sheep, to become shepherd of God’s people in leading them out of their bondage in Egypt and back to following their God). I guess, in saying this, I felt like a somebody when life was busy with my husband, a home, children, and then grandchildren. So now, who am I?
I do realize I repeated multiple times that I was a keeper of the home, help-meet to my man, mother, and grandmother – I am that woman who filled and still fills all those rolls. I am not a nobody. But I am learning how to let God work on me, with me, through me… I not only fulfilled my roles for the last 30 years, but also felt fulfilled through them. It is time for another role, and I am ready.
Hello, my name is Kimberly. My friends call me Kimmy. I am a child of God, “a mighty servant of God turned loose on this globe, in the great name of Jesus.”
My life has purpose – different while still the same. Are you in the same situation? Wondering what now? Wondering who you are now? Wondering about your purpose at this time in your life? Our specifics may be different, but we are in the same situation.
I am learning Christ’s story, and sharing my story, with the hope that this brings glory to God, and that this can be OUR story!
... cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense….Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.” Colossians 3:15 - 17 (the Message)
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