By the time you’re reading this, my daughter will have already turned the big 1! I know, I know, children are supposed to grow, and I am very blessed to be able to celebrate this milestone with my husband. My little family is one of my dearest accomplishments. It takes every single cell in my body to watch over and raise the bundle of energy that is our daughter, Rye.

Becoming a mother was something I aspired to for as long as I can remember. And at the ripe age of 35, God granted me my very own mini-me. She is strong and sensitive, tough and soft; she is the perfect mix of myself and my husband. Our currently teething toddler has changed the way we live our lives and the way we both do business. Motherhood is the “hoodest” hood I have ever lived in, and well… I’m from Durham, so that’s saying a lot! Balancing (if I can even use that word) my career with being a wife and mother is the toughest thing I have ever done. But like everything else, there are lessons worth learning in attempting this circus trick of a balancing act called my life. I now understand how important time is; it is truly the most valuable gift we can give. I have learned the real meaning of patience and perseverance, and most importantly, I have been exposed to a level of love I never knew existed.

Time, patience, and love are all the things I want to sow into our daughter.

As I think about those little two Tic Tac teeth now sitting face forward at the bottom of her gum line and the way she laughs when the Elmo theme song starts to play, as I think about her hating to get her hair combed and the way she stops everything to stare at my husband walking in the door (like he doesn’t come home every night), I have heard her say “Mama,” seen her react to my smile. I am a different woman because of this. And that woman is still a business owner.

I won’t bore you by telling you what everyone else does about my motherhood journey; instead, I will leave you with this one-sentence notion I hope you carry into your tomorrow as a mother and a business owner.

Be where your feet are.

I refuse to allow my business to overshadow my first ministry, my family.
No matter how good or challenging it gets, my family comes first and will be here after my branding business is long gone. So I have committed to being here, right here, wherever “here” is in that moment. Lately, “here” has been in a planning session with my husband or in the middle of the floor watching Elmo sing the alphabet song for the 567th time that day. But I will let my mind meet me in those moments that will all too soon turn to memories. And whenever I am tempted to think about work in those moments, I simply won’t. 🙂

-here’s to more years, Jess (wink)