{"id":13051,"date":"2011-02-22T10:45:00","date_gmt":"2011-02-22T14:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.loraleelewis.com\/blog\/?p=13051"},"modified":"2012-05-09T12:18:36","modified_gmt":"2012-05-09T16:18:36","slug":"exodus-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.loraleelewis.com\/blog\/exodus-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Exodus"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"I\"n January, my husband and I took a risk.\u00a0 We packed up our little family and moved west.\u00a0 As I pulled out of our driveway, I\u00a0began to cry. Was I making a huge mistake?!?<\/strong><\/em> For the past seven years, I had called\u00a0that\u00a0house –\u00a0 home<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0My mind raced. The house I was driving away from was\u00a0where I had brought my babies home<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0I thought of my little ones taking their first steps and saying their first words in\u00a0it’s hallways.\u00a0\u00a0I thought of all the people who had been welcomed and the parties thrown. \u00a0I thought of how\u00a0I\u00a0had taught my children to pray in\u00a0it’s rooms.\u00a0\u00a0 I thought of the moments those walls had witnessed.\u00a0 My cry turned into an ugly\u00a0uncontrollable\u00a0bawl.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

As I\u00a0stopped to turn out of our Texas neighborhood for the last time (gulping air in between unbecoming sobs),\u00a0a building\u00a0caught\u00a0my eye.\u00a0\u00a0It was\u00a0a large church I had passed a million times.\u00a0 The church\u00a0had Christmas lights still\u00a0strung from\u00a0the roof.\u00a0 I stared at the lights. \u00a0It was weeks<\/em> past Christmas. They seemed\u00a0out of place on the church.\u00a0 Annoyed, I immediately stopped crying and\u00a0crinkled up my nose. Why don’t they take those down?<\/strong><\/em> I scowled.<\/p>\n

Then it\u00a0hit me. Even the most\u00a0sparkling wonderful\u00a0things in life,\u00a0no longer\u00a0shine and touch hearts the same\u00a0when they have hung on past their time.<\/em> I was hanging on.\u00a0 I was a Christmas light on January 14th.<\/p>\n

It was time for me to leave Texas. I knew it. My heart knew it. And no last minute emotions could change it. So I gave myself a scolding, made the left turn, and headed northwest.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

I did not\u00a0look back.\u00a0 I was afraid if I looked back, I would turn back.\u00a0\u00a0 Instead, I thought.\u00a0 I thought as I drove three little children, two dogs, and a recent eye-transplant patient \ud83d\ude42 across four states.\u00a0\u00a0I thought about turning 30…about following my heart…about taking risks. \u00a0\u00a0I thought about how\u00a0I was embarrassed when I placed my first invitations online.\u00a0 I thought about how\u00a0that risk\u00a0was now\u00a0my business.\u00a0 I thought about how I had\u00a0been waitlisted for\u00a0law school three times, before finally\u00a0 having to turn down the opportunity because my husband had gone temporarily blind and we were adopting Boston.\u00a0 I thought about how I have never<\/strong><\/em> once\u00a0regretted it. \u00a0 I thought about all the times I had felt I should do something and then did not.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I thought about telling people we were adopting\u00a0Ethan and Vienna\u00a0at the same time\u00a0and everyone looking at me like I was insane.\u00a0\u00a0I thought about\u00a0them now\u00a0running into my arms and screaming at the top of their little lungs, “Mommy!” <\/em> I thought about failed adoptions.\u00a0 I thought about all my adventures abroad.\u00a0\u00a0 I thought about heartaches.\u00a0 I thought about the day I married my husband – how I almost didn’t go through with it.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I thought about all the risks I had taken.\u00a0 I thought about all my failures…and my successes.\u00a0 As I drove, I realized anything with meaning in this life involves risk.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

As I drove, I wondered about all the wonderful things that would have happened in the world had we all\u00a0not worried about what others thought and just went for it!\u00a0 If we unapologetically followed our spirit, what could happen?\u00a0 Sometimes I feel that we do not know our mission, because we are too worried about living out the one we think<\/em> others have for us.\u00a0\u00a0Why don’t we all just listen to our individual spirits, blockout the naysayers and believe in ourselves. I do not believe that God has a mission for any of us that is less than 100% spectacular.\u00a0 So why be afraid of living it?<\/p>\n

There are a few times in all our lives where we have to throw logic to the wind and follow what we feel our\u00a0spirit is telling us.\u00a0\u00a0They are\u00a0life-altering decisions.\u00a0 But then<\/strong> there are other times, every day decisions, small risks, that we often shy away from because we worry about what others will\u00a0think – which\u00a0in reality\u00a0may be more impactful on our life in the long run.<\/p>\n

The small risks may actually shape our lives more than the so-called “life altering ones.”\u00a0 Deciding to\u00a0throw\u00a0that large dinner party even though it scares you to entertain.\u00a0 Putting your swimming suit on and jumping in the pool with the kids despite your lack luster thighs.\u00a0 Trying a new recipe for\u00a0Thanksgiving.\u00a0 Calling an old friend out of the blue.<\/p>\n

Now the dinner party may end up being a complete debacle.\u00a0 You may end up getting a third degree sunburn by showing your\u00a0 legs that haven’t seen sunlight in years.\u00a0 Your mother-in-law may forbid you from ever cooking for Thanksgiving.\u00a0 And your friend may actually turn into an archnemesis.\u00a0 But you never know. <\/em>You may end up\u00a0being the hostess with the mostess, leave a lasting summer memory with your child, start a new Thanksgiving tradition,\u00a0and rekindle a relationship that will last\u00a0a lifetime.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I have to think that it’s worth the risk.<\/p>\n

Leaving Texas was a risk.\u00a0 Mr. Lewis was Vice President of his company and had a comfortable income.\u00a0 But I cannot say we\u00a0are afraid.\u00a0 I think there is a quiet peace that comes over you whenever you know you are\u00a0following your spirit\u00a0– even if it’s risky.\u00a0 Sometimes\u00a0a leap of faith is actually more like a warm blanket being wrapped around your shaking shoulders.\u00a0 Don’t you think?<\/p>\n

Now that we have moved (and I had 22 hours of driving to think), I am focusing on taking small every day\u00a0risks.\u00a0 I don’t want to be a Christmas light burning bright\u00a0on\u00a0St. Patty’s.\u00a0\u00a0 I don’t want to be hanging on to what is comfortable.\u00a0 Turning 30 in a few short days is pretty enlightening.\u00a0 I really don’t have time for playing it safe.\u00a0 I don’t want to wake up in 30 more years and wish I had done some things.\u00a0\u00a0 So today, I am designing new invitations, planning more elaborate events for clients,\u00a0 trying a new recipe, and trying my best to step out of my comfort zone daily.<\/p>\n

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. <\/span>A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could <\/span>have dreamed would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets: Whatever you can do, or dream <\/span>you can, begin it. <\/span>Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Blog to you soon,<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

n January, my husband and I took a risk.\u00a0 We packed up our little family and moved west.\u00a0 As I pulled out of our driveway, I\u00a0began to cry. Was I making a huge mistake?!? For the past seven years, I had called\u00a0that\u00a0house –\u00a0 home.\u00a0\u00a0My mind raced. The house I was driving away from was\u00a0where I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1024],"tags":[1666,1668,1667,1664,1665],"class_list":["post-13051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-inspiration-and-life-lessons","tag-appreciation","tag-eye-transplant","tag-inspiration","tag-moving","tag-risk"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.loraleelewis.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13051","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.loraleelewis.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.loraleelewis.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loraleelewis.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loraleelewis.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13051"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.loraleelewis.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13051\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.loraleelewis.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13051"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loraleelewis.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13051"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loraleelewis.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}