Humbled.

I'll be the first to admit... today was rough. There was a 5:00am wake-up call from a hungry baby, and soon after, there was an email from an upset customer (the worst!). There was the accidental dropping and shattering of two favorite dishes. There was the overwhelming truth that oh my goodness I have to make 15 clutches today. You've had this kind of day, I'm sure of it. It's hard. I felt on the verge of a panic attack more than a few times.

Later this afternoon, there was a teary call to my mom, which prompted her to immediately ask, "Ok, what can we do?" My dad hopped in the car and arrived within about 20 minutes, ready to take Liam for the rest of the afternoon so I could get some work done. These doting, committed, sacrificial grandparents of his bless me so much. I know that they're there to catch me - and my smiley five month old - when I fall. They are constantly serving our little family by helping clean our house, catch up on laundry, make us a meal, or entertain our boy.

I have a husband who sent me to a hotel last weekend - alone! - because he knew how desperately I needed a full night of rest.
I have a Grandma who sewed 25+ purses for me in the last couple weeks.
I have friends who volunteer to watch Liam or cut fabric or bring Chipotle.

I am loved. And because of this, I am humbled.

Tonight, I was able to help serve a meal to women who had recently come out of prison and are in rehabilitation before returning to their lives. It was one more thing that hardly fit in my overpacked day, but I'd committed to it, and had a sense that it would be a life-giving experience. So I met my parents and Liam there, along with my friend Ashlyne and a couple others, and we dished up some delicious enchiladas, salad, and key lime pie to about 40 hungry ladies. Liam was a hit (of course!) and just sat there looking cute. As the ladies left the room, they'd say, "Thanks so much for dinner. Bye Liam!"

Whenever I have the privilege of serving - whether at a homeless shelter or my neighbor across the street - gratitude always hits me. Usually it's gratitude for material things. For example, when I serve a homeless man, I'm grateful to have a home.

Today, I was so grateful for how I've been blessed relationally. These women are often very alone. They've been estranged from family members since being incarcerated, and they don't have strong support to fall back on. They don't have a community to come to their rescue. They don't have a loving family cheering them on through their recovery from addiction and abuse.

So I am grateful. Humbled. I'm allowed to be broken, to not have it all together, to be vulnerable. I am confident I won't be rejected by the ones who love me, but will always be helped and encouraged. I am surrounded by an incredible group of servant-hearted people, which make my life so rich. Thank you, sweet friends and family of mine. I love you.