Intentional With My Time

September 6, 2026

by Shelley

I've been thinking a lot lately about being intentional with my time.

I know I touched on this in my last blog, but sometimes I get stuck on certain things. I’ll keep thinking about them, keep praying about them, and keep asking God for clarity until I finally understand what He’s trying to show me.

And lately, I think He’s been showing me this:

My kids are only going to be the age they are today…today.

That sounds so simple, but when you really sit with it, it’s huge.

Life is LIFE-ING right now. Fall is coming, and fall has always felt like a season of change. Things I’ve prayed for are continuing to unfold in my life....actually, so many things that sometimes when they start happening, I’m like, Wait…no, just kidding!

Because I like praying for things and then getting overwhelmed when God actually answers me.

I have to remind myself: Girl, you prayed for this.

And if we're talking about walking into a new season of change...you already know I'm doing it in a hot pair of Leviticus boots. Because growth may be uncomfortable, but my shoes don't have to be.

I prayed for a life I didn’t constantly feel like I needed to run away from...and I continue to build that life.

I prayed for opportunities that would eventually allow me to leave work at work, come home, and just be Mom. God is slowly unfolding that, too.

And somewhere along the way, I realized something.

When my life is over, no one is going to sit around talking about how quickly I answered an email. No one is going to remember whether I finished every single thing on my to-do list or how professional I was every second of every day.

They’re going to remember who I was.

I am a mother.

I am a daughter in Christ.

I am a warrior.

And out of every title, accomplishment, business, job, and goal I have ever had, being their mom will always be the greatest thing I have ever done.

Last night, around midnight, I sat on my kitchen floor with my oldest, Gretta.

We talked about life. We talked about business. We just…talked.

And I sat there listening to her, thinking about how incredibly proud I am of the woman she is becoming.

There’s a hard truth in our story that I don't hide from.

My daughter had pieces of her innocent years taken from her because of my addiction. She saw things a child never should have had to see.

But that didn't stop her.

She looked at something she knew she never wanted for herself, and she ran in the opposite direction.

And now I get the privilege of sitting on a kitchen floor at midnight listening to this beautiful, driven young woman talk about her future.

I don't take that for granted.

Then there’s Luca.

My little sidekick who would probably prefer that my entire daily schedule consist of playing dinosaurs, riding bikes, building forts, eating snacks, and whatever other adventure his almost-four-year-old brain comes up with.

His world is simple.

He just wants me in it.

And I want to give him that.

But I’m also human. Some days the phone rings. Work follows me home. A business needs something. The house needs cleaned. Dinner needs made. Life needs handled.

And some days, even though I'm physically there, he doesn't get my undivided attention.

So lately, I’ve been changing that.

I’m being intentional.

Sitting on the kitchen floor and listening to my daughter instead of worrying about what time it is.

Putting my phone away and riding bikes with my son.

Getting down on the floor and entering his little world instead of asking him to wait while I finish one more thing.

Choosing the moment in front of me instead of constantly thinking about the next thing I need to accomplish.

Because the years go fast.

The kids grow up.

The season changes.

And eventually, there won't be a little boy asking me to come play. There won't always be midnight kitchen-floor conversations with my daughter while she's still living under my roof.

There will always be another email.

Another goal.

Another opportunity.

Another dollar to make.

But I will never get this version of my children back.

So while God continues to unfold everything I've been praying for, I'm learning that maybe part of the blessing is knowing when to put it all down and enjoy what He's already given me.

Someday, when my children talk about their childhood, I don't need them to remember a perfect mom.

I want them to remember a mom who showed up.

A mom who listened.

A mom who got on the floor.

A mom who rode the bikes.

A mom who kept fighting to become better.

A mom who was there.

I've accomplished things I'm proud of, and I know God isn't finished with me yet.

But motherhood?

Motherhood will forever be my greatest achievement.

And right now, I just want to make sure I'm present enough to actually live it.

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