Purpose

I've always been an idealist. I've always thought that if you had a dream, and pursued that dream in earnest that opportunities would present themselves. If the individual was in tune and aware of what was happening they could seize the moment...."carpe diem" if you will. I've also had the chance to come to know what opportunism is. While opportunities always arise, they may not have been opened by an ideal. They tend to come in the fashion of what is "best for me" mindset.

Personally speaking my life has been a mix of both of these things. Through all of my struggles I've always clung to an ideal. I've always had a vision of my life being completed in a family. I always knew that my life had to be spiritually centered first of all, secondly i had to find a wife that had that same ideal and from there the opportunities would arise. Well after a failed marriage and a messy divorce behind me I feel that I'm finally there. For those of you that don't know me, I am married to Ashley Mitchell. She is such an inspiration to me personally. It is a true blessing for me to part of BIB, to be able to witness how an individual is learning from her own experiences and struggles and reaching out to others is pretty amazing!!! I know this isn't the place to earn brownie points but my wife rocks!!

I'll try to bring this back, I can go on & on about Ash and I, but this post does have a purpose....aahh purpose. That is the whole point of this post. Purpose, what is our purpose? What is your friends purpose? That guy on the corner, what is his purpose? I know personally what I believe, some of you may or may not think the same but one thing I am certain of is that none of us can see all ends. Life, generally speaking does not go as planned. If I may, usually life is what happens when you have a plan. In our journey we are faced with many things...some things are trivial, while some are enormous, life changing. Some of, if not most of the time the life changing things catch us off guard, loss of a family member or job loss, maybe an accident or illness or the arrival of a child. That last one is kind of tricky. The arrival of a child, I can testify they sure do change your life. Some people make "plans" for a child but I don't know if anyone can really say they were ready when the little one came to this world. I know that at times I'm stumped at what to do as a parent, but I always want the best for my children.

None of us, no matter who we are can see past our choices. We know what we want to happen, but we can't see the outcome usually. Like I said earlier..."life happens". I've always had a deep appreciation and sense of awe for the members of the fairer sex. Not only are you girls much easier on the eyes, but you have the most amazing gift I can imagine. The ability to carry a child and bring a life into this world, I cannot begin to put into words how incredible that is. I'm a pretty tough guy, but my strength is nothing next to the "weakest" woman, you ladies possess a strength that we guys could never handle. With that strength, comes a choice I could never fathom having to make. I can not imagine the sense of dread that can come over a young lady who hasn't "planned" to have a baby and then finds herself pregnant. I have known girls in Virginia where I'm from that were pregnant in junior high. Some of these girls had abortions to "ease" their situation while some chose to keep the baby. I wonder how some of those ladies and the little ones turned out. While I hope the best, statistics usually tell us otherwise. None of us see past our choices...not when the choices have a life to live...not when those choices have their own choices to make, their own dreams to live out. Not everyone that finds themselves pregnant wanted to be. Nor is everyone who is a mother ready to be one. Ideally, I feel every sister has that power in them, in time. To all of you ladies out there, I think you are amazing! To all of the birth-moms....WOW!! The strength and courage that you have displayed is something to behold. I would have never been able to muster that ability, to think beyond myself, my wants and desires. The amount of love and selflessness you ladies maintain is beyond description. I will not pretend to know all of your situations, nor will I pretend to be an expert on life. I've been around the block and I can say that none of us know what is in store for us. The decision that you ladies made to give these little ones a chance, to voluntarily give that gift to a family that is "ready" for a child is a very noble choice. That is a love I don't fully understand but it is something to be admired. Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee...". There is one who knows our purpose. I testify that he loves you. I love you all even though we haven't met. I admire and respect all of you Big Tough Girls!!