PRESSING PAUSE

Adirondack Peach opened just before midnight on New Year's Eve, 2014.  Like the last post, I had avoided it (I'm seeing a pattern here I probably need to address).  I was nervous, scared even.  The prospect of putting something I made not only on display but attaching a price tag to it ushered up all sorts of self-esteem questions and doubts.  But, standing on the confidence of my husband at the time, I pressed "SUBMIT" and Adirondack Peach was officially on the internet for the (literal) entire world to see.

A month later, I made my first sale (thanks, Jen).  By December I had made 100 sales.  Five months later, I had my first wholesale order and four months after that my signs were in Adirondack Life magazine.  By January of 2017, I had tipped 500 online sales and then tipped 1,000 by January of 2018, with 12 wholesale accounts all of which I never pursued but came to me either through word of mouth or Instagram and, glory, who knows how many signs I've made for them.

It's not my intent to brag - 1) that's totally not what's going through my mind as I type, and 2) there are myriads of other people who have been loads more successful (virtual high fives all around).  Instead, I type that timeline out for myself.  The timid and scared, doubtful Brooke on New Year's Eve night was slowly proven wrong over the following four years.  And now that we've decided to push pause on a majority of that business, I'm realizing just how much that step of faith has changed me.

And I confess that I was sad.  I say 'was' because the Lord is good and over the last week He has allowed me to hold Adirondack Peach with a more open hand (not that it was mine to hold in the first place).  None of Adirondack Peach is mine.  It's His talent, His business, His marketing, His money, His gifts, and His mercy.

I spend much of my day with a paintbrush in my hand.  Which means my ears are wide open.  So I fill my shop with music, audiobooks, sermons, or - one of my most favorite, The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey podcast (thanks, Megan).

A few months ago, I got to listen to Jamie's interview with Candace Cameron Bure (yep, Full House Candace) and Candace talked about walking away from acting for a time while her babies were babies - 10 years actually.  I was so floored by her faith in Christ during that season.  In a nutshell, Candace had given her career to the Lord.  She knew her talents came from Him.  She was confident that God was calling her away for a time.  And she was confident that, if He wanted her to act again, then it would be no problem jumping back in.

And I don't know why I feel like what she did would be so hard but I thought, she's an actress!!!  The amount of pressure that comes from keeping up in that world is mind-boggling to me.  If I were her, I would have thought, "If I stop now, I'll never be able to jump back in, not in this industry."  But jump back in she did and in the podcast, she talks about how thankful she is for where she's at now as well as for the years she had at home. 

The Lord, in His kindness, reminded me of Candace's example, as well as others (Joanna Gaines, I'm looking at you).  Women who had much more to 'risk' by stepping away than me.  But that didn't stop them and, I believe, it's because their faith isn't in themselves, it's in the God who orchestrated all that their lives have entailed in the first place.  And there's a lot of freedom in that.

Please don't mishear me.  This isn't a conversation about where women should or shouldn't be or what roles they should or shouldn't have.  This is just me, my own thoughts, my own journey, and my own convictions.

This next season will require more of my attention than I can give while also running a business.  And, I believe, that God has called us to provide more than just a home to a child.  We are to become his/her parents and parenting a child with a history of trauma is going to be a whole new ballgame for me, one that will require my full attention especially at the beginning.

So, whereas in the last post I was feeling sad and doubtful, at the writing of this post I am thankful.  Thankful that the Lord has allowed Adirondack Peach to be part of my story.  Thankful that the Lord has allowed adoption to be part of my story.  And thankful for whatever His pen will write over the next few months and years. 

While it's not my intent to be sales-y on this blog - I do want to finish by letting those that want to know what the upcoming plans are for the Peach:

We've decided that the LAST DAY TO BUY SIGNS from the Peach until April 2019 will be MONDAY, SEPT. 17TH AT MIDNIGHT!

The shop will close for 10 days on Tuesday, Sept. 18th and will reopen Thursday the 27th selling decals only until mid-November, at which point we will close until April 2019.  Click here to go to the shop.

For all my Peach people, thank you so much for flexing with me during this time of transition and for your support from New Year's Eve 2014 until now.  Your encouragement has meant more than you know.

Much love,
Brooke