I think it was back in 2009, because Cooper was super small at the time. I was a new-ish, young-ish mom, and I was seeking and aching for some affirmation that I was doing this whole mom/wife thing right. ((If you are that girl right now? Can I tell you? YOU ARE DOING IT RIGHT!))
My friend Myquillyn was coming over that day for the first time, and for the life of me I can’t remember what we even had planned. Normally, I was the one going to her house. But, I can imagine we were having coffee and just sitting around…because that sounds like heaven.
I was a little extra nervous that day because Myquillyn had a pretty house, and she wrote about it professionally. I wasn’t exactly drowning in extra time during that season of life, and if anything I was struggling to keep up. There were piles of papers and tiny kid’s toys out, which we all know can be like a minefield. Most regretfully to me that day was the fact that I didn’t have time to sweep. I remember side-mouth whispering to Myquillyn that she might be more comfortable leaving her shoes on so as not to step, crunch, step on breakfast crumbs.
But, that girl, she kicked her shoes off and made herself comfortable. And in one sentence she changed the way I thought about inviting people into my home, and by extension my life.
“Oh, don’t worry! Crumbs on the floor make me feel at home!”
That sentence, that friend, ushered freedom into my life that has held on for dear life. I will never let it go, and I’ll tell anyone who will listen. Your house, your life, it doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful. You can have that freedom, too, right where you are.
Myquillyn writes about her home, but as personal as a home is, she may as well be speaking about our souls and hearts. I know that my heart was changed by the way Myquillyn lives, the freedom that she has is like a top secret hideout. It’s so cool, you look both ways wondering if you, too, could have something so storied and so elusive.
My story today is echoed in the pages of a book you can pick up and hold and read as you’re nodding off at night or cradling your cup of coffee in the morning. It’s lovely and perfectly Myquillyn. I feel like it’s her gift to women, and I truly think it’s so honest and true to who she is. I’m super grateful to have her to look up to as a boy mom just a bend down the road from where I stand. I’m thankful for the time I had living near to her, and I’ll always be cheering her on.
So, today, I have a challenge for you. If you need a little freedom in your life? Go get the book, it’ll be a lighthearted nudge off the ledge. If you have freedom, how can you usher it in for other women?
PS–I was there when we were making the slipcover on the cover of the book! I was having serious problems understanding the 2D to 3D relationship, but of COURSE, Myquillyn’s turned out darling!! :)