graced for it.

What am I even doing?!?!? 

So, maybe it’s because I turn the big 4-0 this year, or maybe it’s because the timing in life is right. I’m not 100% sure, but what I do know is that I am resurrecting my blogging skills. I started a blog back in the early 2000s with my sister-in-law. We shared the space. It was an outlet for two women called to ministry to still share our words when we were elbow-deep in diapers and all things baby/new-mom. But, as life goes, our children got older, we both got busy, and our blog days ended. 

It’s funny how you find yourself missing odd things from past seasons of life and one of the things that I have missed is a regular outlet to write. Sure, I have had my fair share of writing devotionals, bible studies, church classes, and Instagram captions for our women’s ministry. 

But, all of those things were not fully me… Ally D. 

So, who knows where this blog or writing journey will go but, nonetheless here we go….again ;). I hope to make a real connection with those that read my words. I hope it feels like we are sitting down over a cup of good coffee and when you leave, it feels like we are friends. 

So, in being true to myself I will share what I truly value here in this first post and, yes, it will be in a bullet list…because who doesn’t love a good list! 

• My passion is to know and love God well. And, to make Him known to those around me by my lifestyle, through my love for people and passion for life.
• I want to love my husband well, to laugh with him, to sit with him on our porch, to remain kind towards him in the hardest of seasons, and to champion his gifts and talents. Most of all when our kids move out, I want to still call him my best friend.
• I want to mother my children well. I want to offer them wisdom, kindness, trust, love, and some dance skills that will give them confidence in those milestone occasions. I want them to soar with confidence when they leave this nest knowing that they have a refuge in Christ and their Mom. 
• I aim to be the kind of friend that shows up! I will show up for you on your darkest of days, on the highest mountain tops, and anywhere in between! If you need it, I will get it…from ice packs, meal trains, ice cream, and Target runs. Just name it and I am there for my friends. 
• I love my church. I was called into full-time ministry when I was 19 years old. As a woman whose husband was not in full-time ministry, I knew that my path would look different. But, I was not willing to give up on the local Church to pursue a career in ministry. That conviction runs deep within my soul. It took several years for me to find the words to articulate that conviction. 

I want to write, speak, and share the story God is writing through my life in hopes that it will impact another’s life. Ultimately leading them to the feet of Jesus… but if it costs me any of these bullet points then I don’t want it after all. I don’t want to lose my soul, to gain the “world.” I’d rather have Him and my people, with a side of shameless dance moves in the kitchen together!