What is your passion?

When did you discover the love of your life? No, I don't mean that guy in the armchair watching football with a big bowl of Rocky Road in his lap, but your passion. The thing that makes your heart sing?
Those that follow my blog know that, among a few other things, I love being a wife & mom, and I LOVE design. I had a hard time accepting the fact that I really believe that the Lord put me on this earth to be a mom. I always thought that question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?", was a tough one. I always had something to rattle off: Solid Gold dancer, Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, astronomer, teacher...etc. (Yes, I know Solid Gold Dancer and astronomer...wouldn't that have been a combo? Could you imagine me at parties? Hey look, that is the Big Bear constellation, oh snap, is that Justin Timberlake?... watch me boogie!) These are all things that I wanted to be as a child (well, I secretly still would love to be a dancer), but I always thought of "being a mom" as just a part of life, and not as a passion. I never even thought of being a designer (and I still couldn't imagine doing more that jotting down my thoughts on a blog and rearranging things in my house).
Now that I am all "grown up" (I hear you snickering!) I have become completely content with my lot in life. I love being a mom. I love everything about it. I do feel as though this is what I am here on earth for. God put me here to train up my children, give them a good foundation, show them how a wife loves her husband, show them how much God loves them, and teach them they can be anything and do anything that God puts on their heart. I want them to see the world as being full of amazing opportunities, I want to teach them that being nice DOES matter, and that nice guys and girls do finish first...in the things that truly matter. I want them to grow up full of joy and a sense of adventure. I want them to know that their mom loves them with all her heart, no matter what, forever and always. I want to raise up the most amazing wife and husbands that anyone could ever hope for in a spouse, and I pray daily that God is raising the perfect spouse for them. I think that is a pretty important job.
Now, my passion for design. HMMM. I have wondered why I love it so much. I think my home is what helps define me. It isn't so much what it looks like, but how it feels. I want it to feel like home. I want it to be cozy and warm and inviting to my family and friends and even total strangers. I want things to look nice, but even more importantly, to feel nice. As I browse my catalogs and magazines and other blogs, I am always looking for something that defines me and my desire for my home to be a refuge and a place to land that feels like a big ol' hug. Wow, I am going to make myself cry! Sheesh!
I wondered where my passion to make a home came from, and it started stirring up memories. I think I have always had it, but really didn't recognize it until lately. I remember cooking at my Memom's house. She would let me have free reign and I would learn to make the most delish hashbrowns, cream puffs, and anything else that I could imagine. I still, to this day, love my cream cheese stuffed strawberries topped with brown sugar that I created one day on a whim when I was just a kid playing "cook" in my mom's kitchen. I remember "decorating" my room as a teenager. I am embarrassed to even tell you about it, but it was teal with white sponge painting all over. I was going for the whole Southwestern theme and it was hideous, but my parents let me do it. Bless them! My first little house that I rented was full of little treasures that I would find here or there, and looking back, it was kind of hideous as well, but it was all mine. I loved it. Now that I have a family, and a full house, it means more to me now than ever. I like to think that my style has evolved and that it is becoming more about "home" than what is purdy.
What is your passion? What do you lie awake at night and think about until you fall asleep? What do you find true joy in? Well, whatever it is, whether it is design, or your kids, or teaching, or tinkering with vintage cars, the joy that you find is all yours. Soak it up!