The Quest for Noble Diligence

Pigs have flown. Amber Kanallakan is starting a blog. I honestly never thought it would happen and yet, here I am, sitting at my desk, trying to navigate through something called a "dashboard" while attempting to paste a cute background into a "gadget." I thought I was fairly PC savvy until this experience...

"So, why the blog?" You may be asking. Well, I always told myself that I would not join the throngs of mommy-bloggers unless I had a specific purpose in blogging. I am trying to minimize my time spent on the computer and so did not want to get into the habit of online daily journaling just because. I wanted my blogging to be focused. The question then became, focused on what?

I have been an "at home" mommy now for four months. The adjustment has been harder then I anticipated but I have already learned so much about who I am, what I am not, and who I want to become. I am discovering my passions and, along with my passions, my dreams. That statement will seem incredibly corny and dramatic to some, but if you are a "stay at home" person, I think you know what I am talking about. I am sorting through questions like, "What is the purpose of my life?" "What do I like to do?" "What do I want to be when I grow up?" These are all questions I had asked (and thought I'd answered) in college. The purpose of my life was to "love God by enjoying Him forever" (thank you Mr. Piper). As far as what I liked to do, "reading, singing, and hanging out with friends" was the typical answer I gave. When asked about what I wanted to be when I grew up, I answered, "a wife and mother and I want to manage a crisis pregnancy center."

It is amazing what you think you know when you're twenty. Yes, it was only five years ago, but now, being a wife and mother, having little time to read, sing, or hang out with friends, and trying to figure out how to love God and enjoy Him, if you were to ask me those three questions today, I'd say, "I haven't the foggiest idea." Thus, my blog.

As far as my life's purpose, I still believe it to be to glorify God in everything I do. I just need to figure out what that looks like in my current situation. How do I glorify God while doing laundry, thawing chicken, and vacuuming my carpet for the fifth time that day?

The question of what I like to do...well, that's a fun one because it seems to be evolving each week. I have found a new passion for cooking and meal planning (yes, you did just read that I am becoming passionate about meal planning). Because we are on a tight budget now that I am home, meal planning has become necessary and I am starting at square one as far as my "how to" skill level there. I am certainly far from mastering the art, but I am learning new things every week and am inspired by some new people God has brought into my life who are incredibly good at the whole "homemaker" thing.

What do I want to be when I grow up? The jury is still out on that one. I don't honestly know what my answer is to that but I do know that along the way I want to be the best wife and mom I can be and that I want to learn as much as I can about being a diligent, resourceful, frugal, classy, and creative woman.

All that being said, the purpose of my blog is to map my journey and hopefully give some encouragement to any of my friends or family who may be asking the same three questions. If nothing else, I am sure I'll be entertaining to watch as I struggle through the challenges of figuring it out. Plus, I think it will be fun to look back in a year and see how far I've come. I have both small and large goals for myself and my family and I have great expectations for seeing how and if I am able to meet those goals. The woman described in Proverbs 31 is my inspiration and everytime I read it, God highlights specific verses, showing me what He wants me to focus on at that time. Here are the verses I'd like to set the tone for this blogging adventure:

"She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 'Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.'" Proverbs 31:27-29