After Aaron & I put everything we had into the nation-wide adoption campaign (that ended in mid-November), we’ve been tired. I’ve been tired. We’ve been nonstop fundraising since January and even after I recovered from the physical & emotional exhaustion from the craziest fundraiser of my life, I found myself empty. Actually, past empty. I was massively depleted and it was obvious.
I mean, within a year we have –
+created and sold merch (shirts, hoodies & stickers)
+held a yard sale
+Emmaline sold flowers
+prepared, promoted and executed the egg my yard fundraiser
+had another yard sale (2-days this time)
+released kid shirts
+signed with our consulting firm
+began on the Home Study & legal paperwork (that took 3-months to complete which apparently is impressive)
+started baking sourdough goods
+got our adoption profile book photos taken & worked with someone to get it created and published
+sold sourdough goods at our local farmers market every Saturday this summer (which meant I ws baking all day Wednesday – Friday)
+got the news that we had been approved to adopt which was quickly followed up with us being labeled as ACTIVE
+did the superhero fundraiser & hosted a movie night
+did several other vendor events, including Chelsea, Old Baker and the BJCC
+released steel-cut ornaments
+the online auction
and that doesn’t include all the side fundraisers like the Blue Tansy serum, Usborne Books & More, Mimi’s Gift book, sourdough requests, the puzzle pieces + more.
After some conversation, Aaron & I agreed we need to take a break from fundraising. A pause. Empty space to really press into the Lord and ask what He wants us to do next.
We decided to push through December, taking advantage of the Christmas season and it has proven to be a ginormous blessing to our adoption fund.
But all of December, I’ve been hearing a gentle voice (God) saying things that probably make no sense to others. I’m keeping them close to my heart but all the more confirmation to take a break from fundraising and focus on spending time with Him.
Our plan is to take the whole month of January off from fundraising.
Another peak behind the curtain that I haven’t shared much is our adoption journey has taken a physical toll on my body. I have pushed myself in ways that probably was unhealthy & I’ve been so stressed it literally sent me to the doctor in October with some very real, noticeable concerns. I had red flags pop up on some tests and after more appointments, research and prayer, it became a very loud wake-up call that my body (& soul) need time + attention.
You can still expect posts & updates on our journey, but you will likely not see anything specifically fundraising related in January 2023.
[…] and I reflected and made some decisions with our adoption journey. We chose to take a break in January and not do any fundraisers. We agreed we needed the time to rest, reset and connect with […]