Occupation versus Passion

Inevitably it happened again, the form asked for me to fill in my occupation.

SIGH

What do I write? I don’t work so I write “full time mum” then add “part time charity shop volunteer” for good measure as a way of showing I am not really so boring and predictable.

I want to write sooooo much more – that must be the writer in me!

How do I sum up what I do, and why oh why is it so important for everyone else to define it?

I noticed on my car insurance my occupation is listed as housewife/husband – hmmm I strangely like that, at least it sort of values, even unintentionally, that I am both mum and dad - actually!

Then this tweet appeared on my twitter feed

If I asked you, instead of what you do for a living, what your passion is in life, what would you say?

“Great question” I tweeted back, which then begs the next question – how would I answer the first one?

Obviously my greatest passion is my boys, they are EVERYTHING to me, even when they are complete pains.

I was yelling at oldest son the other day in the car, complaining yet again that I have no freedom to do what I want and haven’t had since the day he was born – OUCH!

“I’m sorry I’ve ruined your life!” He said back – he’s much calmer than me!

Then I had to hastily take it all back – how did I get to be so cruel? If it wasn’t for the boys where would I be? Without them my life would have completely collapsed on 13th November 2010. There would have been no reason to get out of bed or carry on in the days/weeks/months and now years that have followed.

I am very passionate about my boys. I want to see them succeed in what they want to “do” – the irony of that is not lost on me!

I want them to enjoy life, to have friends who love them, to grow up to be compassionate and caring. I want the world to see how amazing they are the way I do on a good day!

No children should have to lose their dad aged 13 or 10 and yet they are growing into fabulous young men before my eyes even without a major male role model to look up to.

I am also passionate that they know Jesus, who is actually the most perfect role model they could ever follow.

But I can’t make them share my beliefs and I pray that one day it will make sense to them too. 

God’s got a bit of work to do to convince oldest son especially that He is a loving God even when He allowed their dad to die. I just trust God is big enough to sort that one out some day because I have NO answers!

However it is not just my own children who I want to share the Good News of Jesus with. This morning I have been in school again with the Open the Book team to tell another Bible story.

It is evident I am passionate on a Wednesday morning as I almost bounce Tigger-like into school. I love the dressing up, the story telling and I enjoy interacting with a whole room full of kids and making the Bible come alive for them because to me the stories are very important, yes because they are the Bible but also because I love telling stories in whatever form.

I’m passionate about my writing and I have friends urging me to continue my Esther story and I know I need to just keep writing regardless of who reads this.

Writing is just something I DO whether or not it is my career or occupation; I enjoy it too much to stop. And whenever I do stop I get grumpy and horrible to live with.

Which brings me full circle to shouting at the boys – I only shout because I care and I care because these things are important to me.

These things are my passions and they are far more important than my occupation!

Now how do I fit all that onto your little form?