It has been a little over two years since I last published a blog post. I wish I could tell you that I intentionally decided to take a two-year break from writing. That I carefully planned the time away, stepped back to reflect, and always knew exactly when I would return. That would make for a great story. But the truth is much simpler: life got busy.
And somewhere between work, community commitments, family, and simply trying to navigate life, writing slowly moved further and further down my list. Every so often, I would think, I really need to start writing again. Then another month would pass. And another. Until somehow, two years had gone by. Looking back now, I realize that while I wasn’t writing about growth, I was certainly experiencing it.
Growth Doesn’t Always Look the Way We Expect
The last two years have stretched me professionally in ways I did not anticipate. My career shifted from primarily programmatic work to overseeing the organization’s operations and, at the same time, helping implement a systems-change initiative focused on ending child poverty by expanding housing opportunities.
There were days when I felt confident. There were other days when I wondered, How exactly did I get here? But I kept learning. Over the last year, I helped navigate some significant organizational transitions. From exploring new insurance brokers and implementing new insurance policies for staff to transitioning the organization to a new Professional Employer Organization (PEO), which meant moving payroll, benefits, and other critical systems.
Was everything seamless? Absolutely not. There were some clunky moments, some stressful moments, and plenty of moments when I was learning as I went. But we made it through.
And perhaps that has been one of the biggest lessons of the last two years: growth does not always mean knowing exactly what you are doing. Sometimes growth is being willing to step into responsibility, ask questions, make decisions, learn from mistakes, and keep moving forward.
Learning to Lead in a Different Way
My community involvement changed, too. In January 2025, I became the president of a membership nonprofit organization. I knew it would be a responsibility. I’m not sure I fully understood how much I would learn when I said yes to the role.
Leading a volunteer organization has introduced me to an entirely different kind of leadership. There are the day-to-day operational responsibilities, but there is also policy and advocacy, fundraising, community relationships, managing different personalities and perspectives, and learning how to move people toward a common purpose when everyone is volunteering their time.
It has been challenging. At times, very challenging. But it has also been rewarding to serve my community in that capacity and support youth initiatives and scholarships.
I’ve learned more about leadership, people, community, and myself in this role. There are lessons from this experience that I hope to share here eventually—including lessons about public service and my decision not to run again for the Board of Education. Those stories deserve their own posts.
Learning That I Don’t Have to Do Everything
Another change has been my relationship with service. For years, I have been very involved in church. And if you are someone who is used to serving, you probably know how difficult it can be to simply…not.
I’ve intentionally tried to take a break from many of my church-related responsibilities. I haven’t completely succeeded. I still oversee the projection board. I participate in a monthly youth Bible study. Occasionally, I help the finance team, lead a service, moderate a panel, or support a special project when asked.
Apparently, my version of “taking a break” still needs some work. But compared to previous seasons, I have intentionally tried to create more space.
That has required me to wrestle with something I think many people who serve others struggle with: Who am I when I’m not doing something for someone else?
There is a difference between being called to serve and believing we must always be serving. I’m still learning that difference.
And Then, I Stopped
By the middle of August, after two years of significant professional and community responsibilities, I began a three-month sabbatical from work. For the first time in a long time, I had permission to stop. To rest. To think. To breathe.
And, of course, because apparently I don’t know how to sit completely still, I also started planning something I have wanted to do for a long time: a 25-day solo trip through South Korea, Japan, and Thailand.
Maybe that sounds like an unusual way to rest. But this trip represents something more for me. It represents giving myself permission to experience something new simply because I want to.
Not because it’s connected to work. Not because someone needs me to organize it. Not because I’m serving on a committee. Not because I’m responsible for making sure everything goes according to plan for everyone else.
Just because I want to see more of the world. And perhaps learn a little more about myself along the way.
Some Things Haven’t Changed
Personally, life hasn’t changed quite as dramatically. I’ve been making more of an effort to meet new people and expand my circle. Am I suddenly an extrovert? Absolutely not.
I’m still very much the person who enjoys my own company, needs time alone to recharge, and occasionally has to convince herself to actually leave the house.
Some things take longer to change. And I’m learning that that’s okay too. Growth doesn’t require becoming an entirely different person. Sometimes it simply means becoming a more intentional version of yourself.
So, Why Come Back to Growth & Faith Now?
When I started this blog, I wanted a space to document what I was learning about faith, finances, health, community, relationships, and life. Somewhere along the way, I think I started believing I needed to have everything figured out before I could write about it.
These last two years have reminded me of the opposite. Most growth happens while we’re still figuring things out. Faith happens there too. It happens in uncertainty. In transitions. In opportunities we don’t feel completely prepared for. In learning when to say yes. And sometimes, in finally learning when to say no.
I don’t have a dramatic announcement about what this blog will become next. I simply want to start writing again. There are stories I want to revisit: leadership, public service, finances, health, faith, rest, and what I’ve learned since some of my earliest posts. There are also new stories beginning.
Soon, I’ll be traveling alone through three countries, navigating unfamiliar cities, cultures, languages, foods, transportation systems, and probably more than a few moments of confusion.
And I want to document some of it. Not because I have everything figured out. But because I don’t. Maybe that was the point of this blog all along. We don’t wait until we’ve finished growing to tell the story.
We tell the story while we’re growing.
So, after two years away, I’m back.
Let’s see where this next chapter takes us.