6 Months Down, 6 More to Go...

Silence echoes in the car as Emily and I think about what all has happened in the last 6 months. There are truly no words to describe the journey that we have been on. God has had his hand on this project since in was brought to life at the beginning of this year. Emily and I got to enjoy a 10 and a half hour car ride to and from Boca Raton this past week, and it was the perfect place to reflect on these past 6 months.

Here are some of Emily’s thoughts about our journey so far. She states, “The words that come to mind when I look back on the last six months are pride, joy, and thankfulness. Pride because we are empowering women to tell their stories. Joy because God has blessed me with a great friend and partner. And lastly, thankfulness because people are reading these stories and sharing them with others. Her Story has pulled me out of my comfort zone. It has inspired me to dig deeper in the relationships I have and the ones I will come to have in the future. It has come to help me enjoy the season of life that I am in right now. In Beth’s story, she told young women to ‘enjoy the journey’ and this journey has taught me just that… to enjoy the journey and the freedom of where I am at. These past months have shown me that women from all walks of life struggle and as a woman I am not alone when I do. God gave MaryB a dream and I am so blessed that they choose me to be a part of this journey.”

I couldn’t agree more with Emily. I truly am just enjoying the journey and I am extremely thankful to have an amazing partner come along side me and fulfill this dream of mine. When I think back on these last 6 months, I can’t help but think back to where it all began… sitting in a classroom, watching a documentary about women, and God just sparking an interest in one line from that documentary. Little did I know what that spark would become. When we released our first story, I couldn’t help but think that Emily and I were the only two that would actually read these stories, but I was wrong. Still to this day I am shocked when people tell me ‘hey, I read Her Story and I really am enjoying it.’ I don’t think you all realize how much that means to Emily and myself. Honestly, I don't need the affirmation, but I really just love knowing that these stories are doing what they are suppose to do, bring women together through encouraging words. Another thing that comes to my mind about this journey is humility. Of course when I started this project I didn’t want this to be about Emily or myself, I truly wanted it to be solely focused on the women telling their story and it to be about them… but deep down at the beginning of this, there was a part of me that was seeking some pride in creating this project, that I dreamt up this amazing thing and selfishly, I kinda wanted to reap the reward for that. But God had other things in mind. He made sure that I would see this as a time of Him refining me, and using this journey to grow my humility. As we started to do these stories, I really started to see how this process was empowering these women telling their story as well as encouraging other women who are reading them. I got to see these women reap the benefits of Her Story and it truly had nothing to do with Emily or myself… I mean I know my writing does not enhance the story and I truly try to make it all their words, so honestly I just get to put this stuff on paper. God made it very clear that this project has nothing to do with me, and I couldn’t be happier about that.

Emily and I are so excited about the next 6 months, and we have a lot of dreams for this project. We truly do love all the support we have received over the past 6 months, and we want to grow this project as much as God will allow it to grow. Emily says it best, she always reminds me that it’s not about how many people read these stories, but just about that one person that really needed to read it. And oh man is that true. We truly are loving this journey and please continue to share your thoughts with us and share our stories. Get ready for the next 6 months because we have a lot more coming your way!