Supermom Series II: Marilyn, "The Passionista"

Throughout this holidays season I will be featuring inspiring women in a series I like to call the Supermom Series. (This is the second time I have run the series. Find the first HERE.) I love doing this series because it gives us a glimpse into the lives and hearts of other women and moms. To see how they do it. To see what makes them unique and inspiring. And to see some of ourselves in them, and hopefully grow in the process. Every Monday through December and January, I have had a new "Supermom" with me to answer a few questions.

Marilyn of Passionista is with us today! She's cheery, passionate, she's real, and she's awfully good with a music mix... So without further ado, here we go. Do you remember the questions?

What inspires you? :: Where do you find it? :: How do you live it?

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What inspires me?
Beauty. There is so much beauty around us everyday, and I find that the more I focus on looking for the beauty in my life, the more there is to be seen. Which leads me to...

Where do I find it?
Family. My family is my life. I live each day to serve them. I have an amazing husband who is my best friend and our relationship is beautiful. Not perfect, but beautiful. 15 years later, we are still very much in love and learning more about how to communicate and respect each other. My 4 children teach me beautiful lessons like patience, and unconditional love, gratitude, and forgiveness. I learn much more from being their mother than they learn from me. Of this, I am sure.

Words. I love reading scripture and the beautiful words of my church leaders as well as the written thoughts of amazing bloggers like NieNie, C Jane, and my friends and family whose blogs inspire me to be better and try harder each day.

Music. I can't live a day without music of some kind, and I crave the beautiful lyrics and melodies of my favorite artists. I can't quite fully describe what music does to my soul, but it is like oxygen to me. I want for it. I love it. I need it.

Creativity. Ever since my camp fire days way back in elementary, crafting has been in my blood. I have fond memories of projects with my mom and that satisfaction that comes from finishing something you've made with your hands. Over the years there have been different stages of creativity in my life, but in the last year or so, my creativity was withering. I wasn't working at it... fueling it... and a sort of depression began to seep in. And then, a beloved church leader gave THIS talk and I realized that it was something that I needed to pay attention to, that it is part of who I am as a woman, and that I need to nurture that element of my life. Now, I have a stronger desire to fine tune my talents, learn new skills, and grow creative children in the process.

Trials. We all have them, every single one of us. We all struggle in life, and I am learning that those trials are beautiful. We grow in adversity. One of my all-time favorite songs is "Gold In Them Hills" by Ron Sexsmith, because the lyrics are so true, so meaningful...

I know it doesn't seem that way
But maybe it's the perfect day
Even though the bills are piling
Maybe Lady Luck ain't smiling

But if we'd only open our eyes
We'd see the blessings in disguise
That all the rain clouds are fountains
Though our troubles seem like mountains

There's gold in them hills
There's gold in them hills
So don't lose heart
Give the day a chance to start

Every now and then life says
Where do you think you're going so fast
We're apt to think it cruel but sometimes
It's a case of cruel to be kind

And if we'd get up off our knees
Well then we'd see the forest for the trees
And we'd see the new sun rising
Over the hills and horizon

There's gold in them hills
There's gold in them hills
So don't lose faith
Give the world a chance to say...

A word or two, my friend
There's no telling how the day might end
And we'll never know until we see
That there's gold in them hills

There's gold in them hills
So don't lose heart
Give the day a chance to start
There's gold in them hills...

There's gold in them hills...

How do I live it?
This quote from Courtney Kendrick about her sister Stephanie from a NY Times article pierced my soul, and has become my mantra, “People don’t understand that of course Stephanie had days where she was crazy and wanted to pull her hair out. Her relationship with her husband wasn’t perfect. But she chose to focus on the beauty. And the more she focused on it, the more she had.”

Though it may be hard to recognize the beauty everyday, it is something I work at. I honestly feel like blogging has helped me do that. I strive to find something of worth each day to post about. Oftentimes it's trivial, sometimes it's significant, but the exercise of searching for the beauty is ALWAYS worthwhile and helps me get just a little bit closer to the me I want to be.