The Little Pink Room….

Sometimes God grows something new in a place filled with pieces of where you’ve been.

Seriously, what was meant to be our Master Closet, that my husband was so excited over, when we got this house… (LOL) it’s a huge closet…okay. It has served many, many purposes. It has held both of our wardrobes at one point, all the family photo albums, you know important things, our kids sentimental things; just to emphasize I keep everything… literally. I am trying to do better, but everything means something to me, of course I have to keep it. This closet has been stacked high with Christmas presents, donations, all the things, if it needed a storage space, it went in the closet.. until one day, I decided this closet is just what I needed to be MY space.

I went on a purge, I re-organized and re-homed almost everything in this closet. My husband came home to all of his things packed into another closet, which he did not like… but he’s a trooper when it comes to all of my sporadic ideas.

Well, now imagine a big empty gray closet… if you know me even just a little bit, you know that i love to decorate, and make things feel like home… I have about a half gallon of left over hot pink paint, so what did I do? That’s right, I had to get this closet painted before I laid my head down to sleep peacefully.

I had no idea what the purpose of this room was going to be, but I knew it was going to be mine!! Once I get my mind set on something, it’s bound to happen, or I can’t focus on anything else.

So, within a few days, I have a fresh new Pink room, filled with all of my favorite things. Dressers, vanity, makeup, shoes, all the things for me. Including a hammock chair, because I planned to have my quiet time in this space. Slowly, I added a bookshelf, my books, Bible, study books, you know “me” things. I would sit here often, every time I got a chance to escape, this is where you would find me.

Whether I was just enjoying some peace and quiet, or getting ready for the day, reading, or praying...

The only thing I was missing at this point, was a wall outlet. I had asked my husband over and over, can we please just add an outlet, I need a lamp, or some vanity lights, this room needs more…. Well he’s a busy hard-working man, but also I just claimed his whole half of the closet as my own.. now I want him to install an outlet too.. Okay, you get the point, he’s over my ideas.. and just wants supper.

This lasted for months, I just kept feeling like there was more purpose to this room… I kept praying. In the midst of all of this, there are changes happening everyday life, etc. You know, how busy life can be, I started slipping away from my little room that I was so excited about… I kept collecting random decor pieces, and it started become like storage again…

One night, I came in this little room and just sat, looking through photo albums. My husbands PawPaw had just recently passed away, so we had a few pictures and some other sentimental items from him that I had brought in here. He meant so much to both of us. I always cherished getting to be around him and (Granny)his wife. ( She passed away in 2011 to cancer) I looked up to them, and admired the love they had for each other. They weren’t either one of them perfect, and didn’t pretend to be, but they were always there for each other, no matter what, through sickness and health. They had such a strong, one of a kind relationship. I often look back and think of some of the times with them, when we were younger, listening to them gripe and argue at each other, and wish they could be here now. Now a days, Chris and I do the same thing. I just giggle, knowing we used to laugh at them doing this same thing, and how sweet it really is.

Step back into the past with me for a minute…

I remember all those years ago, when Granny wanted hogs…she just wanted some hogs. Well, I’m sure PawPaw griped and moaned about it, but he got to building a fence, a covered shelter, all the things for some hogs. This sticks out to me, he took his time, spent many evenings working on this project. Nail by nail, board by board… he got everything fixed up. I remember us walking with Granny up to feed the hogs many times, I can just see the smile on her face….

Many would think nothing of this story, but it’s always stood out to me. Nail by nail, board by board, he made her dreams come true…. Now it’s especially bittersweet, because this hog pen and building, that PawPaw built by hand is still standing. It’s out in the woods from our house. To most, it wouldn’t mean anything, but we were there, and reminisce on such simple times…

I say all of this to say, today’s ordinary moments.. may be tomorrows testimony. Today you may not understand what you are going through, but one day you will look back and understand the pieces of the puzzle… as God is writing your story.

My husband and I have such a similar relationship… remember that outlet? I had only been wanting it for the last six months, and it probably would only take him an hours time to do this project.. but what do I really need this outlet in the closet for…?

We finally slow down, for a whole week! Yes you read that right, we took a week off from everything, just to slow down and relax. That outlet was the last thing on my mind.

I remember going with him to the hardware store, and out of the blue, he said “while we’re here we might as well get the wire for that outlet you’ve been wanting”. Oh, the excitement. He didn’t forget, he’s actually going to do it, I thought. Remembering, the closet had fallen into the storage room again… Looks like our relaxing time off, is over. Time to get to work. We got home, he got the outlet installed, and I was so so so happy! Tickled too death over something that seemed so simple. He gathered all of his tools, sat in my closet floor and step by step got that outlet perfectly installed for me.
I spent the next couple of days, rearranging cleaning and just really trying to figure out what I was going to do with this room now….

So I am back to really pondering about the things I have in here, the furniture, the memories, all the treasures I have found and kept, decor, craft things, my clothes, makeup, etc. An untouched sewing machine… that maybe one day I would have a wall outlet in the closet for.

At this point, I’m really deep into talking to God about everything. I love journaling, crafting, quiet, in my own space… If you didn’t already know you will find out that I love thrifting, antiquing, using someone else’s old items that they no longer have purpose for, and making them my own. I love things, that tell a story. If I have something, there’s most likely a sentimental value behind it, whether it be a piece of furniture, a blanket, or a refrigerator magnet… I may add my own personal touches to make it my own, but I love knowing where something came from, and telling it’s story. Hmm….. I had chills, God was speaking to me… you were made for more. You may not like speaking publicly, or being the spotlight, but your voice can still be heard.. You like to work with your hands, sharing stories, crafts, making everyone feel welcome, caring for people….. Go, go softly, quietly, tell everyone about MY Jesus!… You don’t have to be loud, or be the center of attention to get the word across… I was writing this all down, every verse I read… everything pointed back to God clearly telling me to use this room to spread his Word. Tell someone about Jesus. You have the resources, and now the quiet cozy space, now get to work.

I kept this to myself for days, and days, but it was a feeling I can’t explain… it felt like a huge weight lifted..nothing could bring me down. I was experiencing something I had never really felt before, and known for sure it was God… It was like I had such a clear headspace and all of these ideas just kept flowing and quietly, I was working… and praying for God’s guidance. I knew the purpose for this room was now, “God Grew Me Here”. Through everything, God has met me right here, wherever I am. Whether that be on the couch with a sick baby, in the shower crying after a long day, early in the morning washing dishes before the sun even rises, or at midnight folding mounds of laundry after all the kids have gone to bed, he is always right here. He has never left me, no matter how long it’s been since I’ve gotten ready for church, or how many times, I don’t just slow down and praise him, give thanks. Even if I only bow my head to pray when I’m struggling..He’s right there. He is a faithful and forgiving God, and I am forever grateful. I pray that I can share his Word with all who will listen, whether it be through these blog posts, a shirt that has a scripture, or in the middle of an ordinary conversation.

Granny and PawPaw had an old computer desk, that no one else wanted, it was nothing fancy just a wooden desk. I’m actually surprised it hadn’t been thrown away already.. but I went over and it was on the back porch ready for the garbage… I loaded it up, brought it home, to my new pink studio. I got it all cleaned up, and it just felt so sweet, reminiscing the days when Granny would sit at this very desk playing her Solitaire games on the computer.. My husband sat at this very desk several late nights working on school projects..So many memories. It is now mine, I saved it from getting trashed, and that makes it this much sweeter. As soon as I made a space for it, I got my trusty ole Mac Desktop plugged in the new outlet and set up. I couldn’t help but to get all of my things neatly organized on the desk and just the way I liked it.

I know that night, I sat at the computer desk for hours and hours, playing worship music and reading scripture, and putting bible verses into some pretty amazing designs. I didn’t know exactly what my plan was, besides if I put these designs on shirts and wear them, then they will become a conversation starter, and I can tell someone about my Jesus, my story, and my testimony. Over the next few days, I probably made 20 shirt designs for myself, that I related so strongly to. I poured my heart out into them, and started wearing them so proudly.

As I was making these shirts, my kids showed so much interest in having shirts about Jesus also. I knew then that I was on to something. I never really thought I was making shirts to sell.. but I kept thinking, maybe if these shirts mean so much to me and my kids, then they will mean that much to someone else. What if I can create something with my hands, that is helping to spread the Word of God?

We may not be walking the same paths, but these shirts may tell someone else’s testimony too. It may be the message that someone behind me at the grocery store needs to read…One of these shirts may start a conversation that changes someones life on an ordinary day.

At the end of the day, I wasn’t trying to build a business or a brand…. I just wanted to create a place. A place that feels like home, that feels like we are sitting on the front porch, having a casual conversation about God and everything he has done for me. This is the story of the little pink room, that is so much more than just a room to me.

I hope you will sit with me a while. I pray that as I have the time to write, and share glimpses of my story, that maybe you can relate, or you can realize that God is growing you too. You just have to surrender and let him lead the way.

Let’s grow in faith together. Remember we don’t have to have it all figured out before we start telling our story and sharing God’s grace with others.