Purpose

pur·pose

/ˈpərpəs/

This is the journey to define your gifts and talents to fulfill your unique calling—embracing who you are to help determine the roles only you can fill. It is the catalyst for doing your best, imperfectly so, each day in every area of life.”

One Man's Dream Women Can Believe In

One Man’s Dream Women Can Believe In

At The Grit and Grace Project, we usually write about women’s lives, telling their stories and sharing their vision. But we have found a man who has a dream we believe in, and we want to share it with you… What happens when a world-traveled, highly successful photographer takes the view that he sees through the lens of his camera and puts a voice to it? The images and needs that his expeditions have revealed to him are displayed in his photography; they are also etched in his heart. During a meeting in a hotel several years ago, in room 121, Jeremy Cowart noticed that the room had a name, and he began to ponder… What if the room’s name meant something more? “Imagine walking down the hallway with

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Keep Fighting There's a Plan for Your Life

Keep Fighting; There’s a Plan for Your Life

I was listening to the radio recently and I heard an emotionally wrenching interview with one of the victims in the Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando. Tony Sanchez and his best friend—who did not survive—were on their way out of the club when the shooting started. Tony unpacked his terrifying account of that night … flinging himself onto the floor and hiding his head underneath a sofa, from where he could see seven other people lying dead from gunshot wounds to the head. He spent 20 or 30 minutes lying there, quaking, in the growing pools of blood. Just when he convinced himself that he’d be OK, he became the shooter’s target. The murderer put four bullets in Tony’s back. The bullets passed through his back and went into his left arm, shattering nearly

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Beauty School Dropout

Beauty School Dropout

My mother loved to tell the story with great chagrin of how she had to go to the college I was attending in the early 1980’s to beg on bended knee that they not kick me out. They let me stay on with a warning of “Academic Probation.” I was really good at having a very fun social life, and not so great at attending class. I got by the next semester on a wing and prayer while still majoring in social life. I decided to try another route, so I signed up for Cosmetology. I hated it! You see some gross stuff staring down at the scalp of a stranger’s head. I became a “Beauty School Dropout” four months into that program.

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Learning to Breathe, and Face Depression

Learning to Breathe, and Face Depression

Once upon a time I had my dream job working for a nationally recognized magazine. During my tenure there, I became a first-time mother. I had always imagined that when my first baby arrived, I would instinctively want to stay at home. I did not. I adored my son, but I missed my work. So, when he reached twelve weeks old, I returned to my job. It was a juggling act, for sure, but with the help of my husband and a flextime schedule, it worked. When the day came that we started talking about increasing our family yet again, I knew that for me it was time to consider walking away from my job. It feels like a sacred confession to

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Your-Best-Is-Actually-Good-Enough

Your Best Is Actually Good Enough

After watching a movie on Netflix last weekend, we caught the tail end of the USA men’s gymnastic trials for the summer Olympics. At the end, the selection committee agonized over which five of the athletes to choose for the U.S. Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro. Both my husband and I found our eyes leaking tears along with the amazing young men as their names were announced. One of the last gymnasts we saw compete was Danell Leyva on the double parallel bars. The commentators slightly dismissed him as he started out, mentioning hiccups in his earlier performances, but he showed they were wrong. His routine was flawless and breathtaking. The only hitch I saw was a tiny hop upon landing

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I Am Not Half, I Am Whole

I Am Not Half, I Am Whole

God bless the messy road that made me who I am. I am in awe of how each season of our life prepares us for the next. Sometimes it’s our wrong choices and mistakes. Oftentimes it’s another’s wrong choice, but it affects us. The messy roads, the product of wrong choices can make you feel like you are less than. While others seem whole, you may feel that you are merely half. Yet, that is never true. When I look at my life, I can see so clearly how each season and choice (both good and bad) have made me who I am today—and I count it all joy, my friends. I was that kid born out of wedlock. My mom was sent away

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My-Story-Rewritten,-Yours-Can-Be-Too

My Story Rewritten, Yours Can Be Too

My life story began as a child of a hurt woman who fled the unfaithfulness of a husband. Her pregnancy came when she fell in the arms of another man seeking comfort. I was the product of hurt, and a thirst for love, and I became a decision faced by a mother who was not ready for motherhood. My beginning could have looked like this: I am: Unwanted A child of hurt, shame, and secrets A choice to make Without value or purpose Another child, if born, headed for Foster Care Yet that was not the end—that is not who I am. I am not: An unwanted daughter A daughter of shame The choice to end a pregnancy Instead, my mother’s decision,

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Pursuing Dreams While Rearing Children

Pursuing Dreams While Rearing Children

People often ask how I have time to pursue any personal endeavors while rearing small children. Certainly there is the feeling that becoming a mom means postponing, if not completely forfeiting, any personal ambitions. I attribute my pursuit of being a practicing artist and present parent to appropriate doses of tenacity, perseverance, improvisation and intentionality with the cherry on top of a supportive spouse. Honestly, some days are a wash and require me coming to terms temporarily with letting any personal ambitions go. Other days present themselves more manageable if I just take the effort to proactively switch some things around in the schedule, humbly ask for help from my family and be disciplined enough to follow through. Being that it is

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