These pictures say so much...

I took these pictures (with the exception of Brock at Spartan stadium for a football game) a few days ago. We finally had a sunny, dry autumn afternoon where the kids could play outdoors and jump in a pile of leaves and simply enjoy the moment.
It's times like these that I see how forunate I am and how much I truly appreciate my simple life. Some of you know how I had my own plans and dreams out of college, and early on when I was dating Chip, that didn't include kids. True. I decided after years of babysitting and waiting tables that I didn't want kids of my own. I was going to go after success- thinking somehow everyone in the business world must be right- that to have big cars, homes, boats, the latest fashions, furniture, jewelry...all that kind of stuff, must make you happy. I figured that so many 'successful people' must have all the answers. I couldn't wait to get going in a career that would allow me the chance at all this stuff. That's what was behind my decision to keep kids out of the picture. I decided that they added too much hassle and would 'get in the way' of what really seemed to matter to people and success.
Flash forward 10 years, and I have to admit I have a nice home, a couple of vehicles and no financial worries...yet those things have nothing to do with my definition of success anymore. I am realizing that business degrees, money, fame, houses, boats, jets...all that kind of 'stuff', while it can bring happiness and fun- it's all temporary. Oftentimes I have seen how bigger stuff and more things only adds to people's troubles. Things can bring more trouble than they do good- cars can break down or depreciate, jewelry can be lost or stolen, or fame can bring loneliness and heartbreak. You have to agree more stuff can simply add to the list of things that need more of one's time and attention. It can cause one to lose sight of what 'success' in life really consists of.
I am grateful, that although it didn't hit me at the time, that my defintion of success was 'shaken up a bit' when I found out I was pregnant for the first time. I thought my life was over for awhile. I had trouble surrendering my mind and body to the idea of having someone else call some of the shots in my life at that time. And really, I don't think it was Teagan- but God who was in control all along. I was headed down a different path, and He knew what was best for me even though it didn't allign with what I had 'planned out' for my future.
I find myself, on almost any given day, thanking God for helping me to realize what really matters in life. I am grateful that I didn't get sucked into the belief that success is about what you have or get in life. Instead, I am learning and living that success is more about what I have to give away...the values and lessons and experiences that I can give to my kids and others around me. It's about sharing life and goodness and hope with people that might not otherwise get the chance at those 'things' in life. My success is feeling contentment with what I have- not in striving for things I see that other people have.
Yes, I have more than enough in my life, I am blessed beyond measure. But it's not because of the monetary worth of the things around me. It's because I have learned to define success in a new way. I am grateful for the everyday beauty in life, the ordinary that really isn't 'ordinary' in the least, and the belief that each moment I have is a gift. I am thankful, more than I thought I ever could be, as I live my simple life day to day.