A Personal Letter

I have recently gained several new readers, and I got to thinking that not all of you may "know" me. I'd like to know you better too. So, today I'm going to write you a letter with my thoughts and some things about me.

And I would love for you to take a moment to introduce yourself as well. If you'd like, write a similar letter on your blog and leave your link below. Or, tell me something about yourself and what you're thinking in the comments. I'm looking forward to getting to know you, as are the rest of my readers who are looking for friends with health interests in common.



Dear Bloggy Friends, Fellow-Wellness-Pursuers, and Cohorts-in-All-Things-Healthy,

Thank you for spending some time on Health Begins With Mom! I hope that what I write here is inspiring to you. I hope that it gives you direction and motivation as you try to create a healthy life for you and your loved ones.

Personally, I am inspired when I see the bright energy and love of life that my children possess. First, it makes me smile. It brings me out of my entanglement with the duties of my day. And second, it stirs up in me a desire to protect that life, to nurture the body and soul that has the potential to change the world. I am blessed to be called mother, to have the opportunity to nurture my children... which includes their physical health AND their spiritual health.

I have been seriously thinking the past five months about how I spend my time. In evaluating, it seems that everything I do is valuable and productive. I am not one to waste any time. In fact, I am just the opposite. I set very high expectations for myself and am very hard on myself if I do not meet them. I struggle to keep myself from being too task-oriented -- to make myself more relationship-oriented. But how much busyness is too much? Is it possible to be too productive?

Recently, in reading about Amy Carmichael, my thoughts were completely summed up in one sentence: "Beware of the barrenness of a busy life."

That sentence cuts right to my heart. It is possible to be so "productive" that we do not have time to cultivate certain fruits in our lives -- to miss true relationship opportunities.

I want to order my life carefully. And so I don't post every day. But I have a long list of topics to post about at the right time!

Did you know I am a real life introvert? Well, yes, I am. It takes effort for me to talk! But, I value encouraging others enough to step out of my comfort zone in order to strike up a conversation and keep it going.

It has been my experience that our lives are full of people and full of information and full of people sharing information, but empty of real encouragement and connection. So, I write Health Begins With Mom to go beyond information sharing in an attempt to encourage you in your privileged position as family nurturer.

So there you have it. I am a driven, deliberate, extrovert-in-training who is trying to live a life (and write a blog) that inspires life and wellness, joy and peace.

I look forward to reading about you! I'm pleased to meet you,