31 Days :: {Day One} Lessons I Learned From My Family

When whisperings of being able to join the 31 Days challenge this year began to trickle through the blog world (or at least my blog world) in August, I was really excited. I thought I knew exactly what I wanted to write about. But as the month came and went and we marched deeper into September, I began to feel God wasn't finished working through the particular topic with me. Instead of writing for others, I needed to be listening to Him.

So as of the beginning of this week, I was all but resigned to simply being a reader, commenter and encourager of others in this process. And I was perfectly content with that. Until Emily asked readers if they could write anything in the whole wide world what would it be. My immediate answer was some sort of memoir about the lessons I've learned from my family.

And there it was - two days before the beginning of the challenge, and I had a topic. One I'm really excited to share. So folks, here's what you're going to get:


At 25 years old, I know I still have a lot to learn. But at a little over three years into my grown-up life, I've realized I have a pretty solid sense of who I am. And it's all because of my family.

These people molded me and shaped me in ways that will impact me forever. They gave me a green thumb. They nurtured my imagination and encouraged my dreams. They instilled in me a sense of significance and security. They pointed me to the Life found in His Word. They taught me the language of love is sacrifice.

So over the next 31 days, I hope to share with you some of the lessons I've learned from some of the greatest people I've ever known. I hope you find some value in them. I hope you can find ways to use them in your own life. And I hope you'll share with me somethings you've learned along the way, too.

Ready? Go!

P.S. Links to each day can be found in a list here.