Literal decades of my life have passed me by, and I wonder where the time has gone. It seems like I blinked and went from my twenties to my fifties, and I assure you it has passed too quickly! During these years, I struggled to maintain balance while juggling so many different things at once. I wholeheartedly know the importance of finding balance in my faith, family and careers, but can admit that it is extremely challenging at times. Striving to grow in my faith, be a good wife and mother, daughter, sister, and friend, while also trying to accomplish long to-do-lists of work and chores is stressful. Frankly, it is exhausting much of the time. More often than not, I carry a sense of guilt by the end of the day, because I feel like I dropped the ball in one area or the other! As a self described overachiever, that does not sit well with me at all, so I keep going, trying to chip away at the obligations; while knowing I should slow down at the same time.
Slowing down to enjoy the simple things that surround me does not come easily for me. However, the older I get, the more I grasp the necessity to do so! I admit that moments in nature like a sunrise or a sunset, animals playing, and beautiful scenery slow my pace more than anything else.
In all honesty, when I stop to rest, my mind quickly fills with things I could, or should be doing instead. Can you relate, or am I the only one?
Years of experience have taught me the importance of relying on scripture. Therefore, I have accumulated an arsenal of favorite scriptures. These scriptures tend to rush to the forefront of my mind, at exactly the appropriate time, to help me navigate my life. For example: When I am really weary, and want to throw in the towel, the verse in the following picture comes to mind:
I do not know what I would do without Jesus in my life! If you don’t know Him as your Savior, I encourage you to seek Him today! He’s waiting for you to take that step!
Next up is the Blessing of Family ~
To know me, is to know that I love my family!
Let me tell you a little bit about us: My husband, Darrin, and I married in 1994. Darrin started working with his uncles in residential construction at a young age. He was, and still is, an extremely motivated, hard working man and he has a hard time resting too, I might add! When we married, I was working in my family’s business where I managed their furniture store and used car lot. I can not thank my parents enough for the opportunity that I had to learn so much about the business ownership side of things! I especially loved working in the furniture business, and miss that to this day!
Together, my husband and I, opened our own construction company named D & T Construction, LLC.
When we married, I gained a daughter, who was 6 years old at that time. Her name is Carrie and she is married, and she has two beautiful children. I am blessed to have them call me Nanny. She recently started a job that she loves as Office Manager and Assistant to the Chair at Clemson University.
Next up, is another daughter, who was born in 1995. Her name is Kaitlyn, and she is married, and has 2 dogs that she loves! She has a successful career as Director of Human Resources at The Peoples Bank where she has seven branches to cover. She is also President of her local chapter of Anderson Area SHRM. She volunteers for multiple other positions and stays extremely busy!
Our youngest daughter was born in 1998. Her name is Lexie, and she is married and has 3 dogs that she loves. She is expecting her first baby, and it’s a girl! I am so excited!!! She is a successful Interior Designer and she owns her own business named Lexie Bedenbaugh Designs.
Last, but not least, we have a son that was born in 2004. His name is Dylan, and at this time, he is going into the family construction business, and helping manage our rental business. Otherwise, he is a pretty awesome gamer, and is single.
To say we are proud of our children, and grands, would be an understatement! They are all a Tremendous Blessing in our lives! Thank You God for allowing us to be their parents, and grandparents!
All of our children, and grandchildren, live within five miles of our family home, and nothing could make me happier! Being a mother is something that I treasure and thank God for continually! Sharing my faith with them is a responsibility that I take very seriously!
As a homeschool mom for many years, I claimed Proverbs 22:6 over our children all the time!
“Train up a child in the way they should go, and when they are old, they will not depart from it!”
This mother’s heart is rejoicing in the knowledge that they have all accepted Jesus as their Savior. Most assuredly, nothing will ever be more important than that! I am so proud of each of them, and I love them more than words can say!
Family Ties and Family Traditions are Extremely Important to Me!
With that said, I’ll confess that I make it my mission to commemorate our lives through pictures! In truth, I take lots and lots of pictures!
The mere mention of “it’s picture time,” has my family laughingly rolling their eyes, mumbling, and giving me a hard time about it. Admittedly, the older I get, the more I want to capture memorable moments and freeze them in a photo. Time is a thief, and it’s harder and harder to get our growing family together.
I’m sure it annoys them sometimes, but thankfully, they are good sports, and go along with my requests, however begrudgingly! ~ I love my parents, siblings, nieces, nephews and extended family very much too. I can’t imagine my life without the love of family! Eventually, I hope all of us will be able to look back at the pictures, and enjoy them. I’m certain that the photos will reveal just how blessed our lives are, because of who we share it with!
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