I never thought I of all people would get into lawn care.
Heck, I’ve mowed the backyard once. In my life. (After that, Michael said he’d just take care of it. My talents are better used corralling the children, I suppose. To say it tactfully. 🙂
And you know, I just realized that my house has no house plants in it because I’ve successfully killed every single plant that has had the misfortune to be left to my care.
But here I am now, jogging around the neighborhood with the kids on my runs and finding myself thinking things like, Those people have got to tell their lawn guys to raise the blade on the mowers! or The way they juxtaposed Dusty Miller, coleus and red yucca looks awesome in that bed! or Somebody just needs to go buy those people an edger.
Go figure.
Since we started CrossCutt, I’ve actually really struggled with desiring to be able to focus totally on my home and raising my children (and also writing!), but at the same time seeing the real need that I become more and more involved with helping Michael run and grow our business.
One prayer I’ve prayed for a while now is that the desires of God’s heart for my life and our business would become the great desires of my heart as well. And I really have been enjoying learning the business side of the business lately. Still, lawn care isn’t my heart. But maybe it doesn’t have to be.
When it comes down to it, the Lord is my heart. And His will for my life is my heart. He knows what I can do and what He can do through me. He will provide me just enough time and energy to be the woman my family needs me to be. While helping to run a lawn care company on the side. Right now at least. 🙂
The unexpected blessing of me working with my husband in a business capacity is that we are more of a team than we have ever been before in some ways. We just need and love each other in new and unexpected ways.
Sometimes when Michael comes in from working all day at the office, then cutting grass with the crew until dark, and he trudges into the house smelling like grass and sweat and mulch and sunscreen, it takes my breath away how much I love this brave, hardworking, golden-hearted man.
And when he sits down to eat dinner at 9 o’clock, and the kids are in bed, and I’ve made sure the house is clean, the laundry is mostly done and he has a big bowl of red beans and rice in front of him (his favorite), what instead unfailingly wins me that 1000-watt Michael Franco smile is the fact that I called around this afternoon until I got the best prices on Tonto crape myrtles for the landscaping job he has on Saturday.
Go figure.:)
In our season of life right now, I guess part of being Michael’s “helpmate” means I’m also his business partner. Which is hard sometimes. Really hard. But we both grew up with parents who ran small businesses together, so we had at least some idea of how challenging working together might be sometimes.
Maybe it’s time for me to get another house plant. I’m still no master gardener, but running a baby lawn care company with my husband has taught me a few things. I’ll think I will try to find a plant from this list though. I’m still a beginner. 🙂
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