Episode #37
Don't Miss the Life You're Living
What if the life you're waiting for isn't the only life worth receiving? It's easy to postpone joy until something changes—until the prayer is answered, the body is different, the finances improve, the grief gets lighter, or life finally slows down. In this deeply personal conversation, Kim looks back at infertility, early motherhood, a move to Memphis, her Moyamoya diagnosis, adoption, and the ordinary life she's living today to explore a truth she's still learning: You can deeply want something to change without treating the life you have today like a waiting room. Because joy doesn't require everything to be resolved. Sometimes it begins when we stop staring only at what's missing long enough to notice what is already here. Extended Show Notes There are seasons we don't recognize as beautiful until they're over. During years of infertility, Kim spent so much time longing for motherhood that she didn't always recognize the gift of the uninterrupted years she and John had together. She could genuinely celebrate someone else's pregnancy while still carrying the ache of her own unanswered prayer. Then the babies came. Within six months, Kim and John went from having no children to having two. Soon afterward, a promotion took John to Memphis while Kim spent six months working full time and caring for two babies during the week before the whole family could finally move. The answered prayer she'd waited years for was beautiful. It was also exhausting. And lonely. And complicated. Because sometimes the thing we prayed for doesn't lead us into an easier life. It simply becomes our life . Years later, another move brought their family back to Texas just as Kim was becoming increasingly sick. They couldn't have known that a Moyamoya diagnosis and brain surgeries were coming—or how desperately they would need the family and friends waiting for them at home. Looking backward, Kim can see something she couldn't always recognize while living those chapters: The hard season and the beautiful season aren't always two different seasons. Sometimes they're the exact same one. In Episode 37, we're talking about what happens when we stop requiring life to be resolved before we're willing to receive the goodness inside it. We'll explore the complicated emotions of infertility and adoption, the difference between honoring real limitations and postponing your entire life, why joy and pain don't cancel each other out, and what it means to let God use the person you are today—not some future version of yourself. And yes... we're also going to talk about laundry. Because sometimes the ordinary thing frustrating us today is evidence of something we once desperately prayed for. The laundry is still laundry. The circumstances may still be hard. The prayer may still be unanswered. But sometimes gratitude turns our attention just enough to help us see the people, provision, laughter, love, and ordinary goodness that were already there. This isn't an invitation to pretend everything is good. It's an invitation to ask: What part of my life have I been treating like a waiting room? And... What is already here that I don't want to miss? You are allowed to hope for tomorrow. You are allowed to work toward change. You are allowed to grieve what's missing. Just don't miss the life you're living while you're waiting for the life you're hoping for. In This Episode We talk about: Longing for something good without allowing its absence to define everything else Looking back at the years before motherhood differently Why celebration and heartache can exist together Going from infertility to two babies within six months Six months of solo weekday parenting while John worked in Memphis The beautiful and difficult reality of finally receiving an answered prayer Moving home shortly before Kim's Moyamoya diagnosis Recognizing God's provision without calling painful circumstances good The emotional complexity surrounding adoption Real limitations versus postponing your whole life Refusing to wait for a different body or a more confident version of yourself before saying yes to God Finding joy in coffee, laughter, books, baking, fuzzy socks, good pens—and "girl couch" Why a mountain of laundry can become evidence of a life you once prayed for Sitting beside hurting people instead of trying to rush them toward resolution The relationship between joy, gratitude, attention, and presence Learning to receive today's life while continuing to hope for tomorrow Continue the Journey This week's free Episode Reflection gives you room to explore the two questions at the heart of this conversation: What part of my life have I been treating like a waiting room? What is already here that I don't want to miss? Use it to slow down, notice the ordinary goodness around you, and consider where you may have unknowingly postponed living until something changes. Find the free Episode Reflection and other resources at HealerHopeGiver.com. Send us Fan Mail Support the show First Conversation: The First Conversation Want to stay connected throughout the week? Come hang out with me on social media for daily encouragement, real-life stories, and the behind-the-scenes pieces of this healing journey. If you feel led to support the show, you can do so through the link in the show notes — and please know, your generosity means the world. You’re a gift.
