How Living With "Myself" Taught Me How To Love.
Meet Sarah.
If you’ve been around Waymore4wayless for any length of time, her face will be familiar.
We’ve worked together since the birth of this business, and she has been an integral part of building this business to where you see it today.
As my 2nd born, I thought it fitting to introduce you to Sarah, and give you a snapshot into how we’ve grown together, and what she’s taught me as a mother.
Raising Sarah, all the things I thought should work for discipline with a child, simply didn’t.
Sarah was born fiercely independent and determined. I guess maybe I just make them that way…! An extremely demanding baby, by one year she was completely running my life.
Picture this. Sarah loved to go on walks. So, each morning, she would climb out of her crib, get our stroller and push it to the front door. She would then continue to bang said stroller into the door repeatedly until she roused me out of bed, and I took her out for her walk.
Her usual wake time… 6:30 am!
I learned very quickly that it didn’t matter how I would discipline her, she simply refused to cry or display repentance in that moment.
Slowly I recognized that she was hardening her heart against me rather than yielding her steely will to mine. I began to recognize the harm that could come from pushing Sarah to respond in my timeframe instead of hers.
By age 10, I learned to never get into a face-to-face confrontation with her about anything. As similarly bull-headed and strong willed as I am… I was simply no match for Sarah! I just couldn’t get through to her and it always turned into world war three!
Let’s just say Scott and the kids learned it was best to find the opposite corner of the house when Sarah and I “got into it”. Needless to say, it wasn’t the most pleasant environment for anyone.
For me though, it proved a a fantastic (and very HARD) lesson on learning how to sacrificially love, give grace and space, and empower another person to respond in their time and on their terms.
What I learned was that Sarah would listen, and respond, but needed time before discussion.
Instead of yelling, demanding and pushing in. I gave her space.
I listened more.
She has a beautiful heart, always ready to serve and give. I just needed to back off and let her bloom.
When I would give her space and wait for the right opportunity to talk, she would be much more receptive and usually, would start to apologies before I said much at all.
She “knew”, she just needed time to struggle with herself and choose what was right. No amount of “in her face” from me could accomplish that and the result was authenticity, honesty and intimacy.
A valuable lesson for any relationship.
And of course, like any rough edges of a God given personality, it has its purpose.
Sarah is amazing! Trustworthy, loyal, responsible, dedicated, diligent… I could go on.
She stepped in and led our family with ease when I was busy. At 11 yrs old when our sixth blessing, baby Tessa was born, and we moved AND restarted our book business after a fire, she shone.
I was homeschooling all the kids primarily on my own, nursing a baby, and trying to re-build the wholesale side of our book business all at the same time. Scott was away much of the week, running book sales in different cities. It was intense to say the least.
So who do you think stepped in and stepped up, leading our family beyond her years?
Yup.
Sarah became Tessa’s second mom. Honestly, I don’t think I would have stayed sane without her.
As she grew, she tackled a ton of projects with full force and has always succeeded.
From buying, boarding and training her own horse, to graduating at fifteen, to starting her own business at sixteen, and then stepping in full time to help us build Waymore4wayless at seventeen, she has flourished at the things she has put her hand to.
This year she decided to become a farmer! She has done everything from fencing, barn building, learning all about goats (buying five of them!) milking, making cheese… the list goes on.
She has literally worked day and night for 3 months now between managing our warehouse to getting her farm up and running.
I NEVER worked that hard as a teenager!
My Sarah.
Hard-nosed and a soft-hearted.
Fiercely independent and a loving servant.
Living life on her own terms but always to the benefit of those she loves. A true leader.
I used to wonder if Sarah and I would survive each other...
Now I can’t imagine how I could ever have survived without her.
