Returning To Passionate Pursuits: Heart Behind Love, The McLeans

Ahhhh, hello there. My goodness, you have no clue how excited I am we are connecting and having a conversation right now. If you are reading this, it must mean we finally launched our new website, Love, The McLeans. It’s been a while in the making, and when I say “while”, I mean there’s a major long backstory to catch you up on. Do you care to hear it? One of my goals in our time together is to share lessons I’ve learned throughout my life. It looks like now is the perfect opportunity to begin sharing those lessons with you. 

Have you ever pursued something that set your soul on fire? This sounds over-the-top dramatic, but you know what I mean. It’s something you enjoy, it embodies your gifts, talents, and passions. It seems somewhat effortless. It doesn’t feel like work, more like play. You feel alive and not weighed down. It consumes your thoughts; you can talk about it, read about it, and study it 24/7. I have to say, I’ve had many things over the years that I could label as “set my soul on fire” pursuits. Some are deeper and more meaningful than others, but when I’m passionate about something, I’m all in. The world MUST know about it too. So, what is that for you? Can you think of a thing or two? Seriously. I do want you to think about what that may be in your life.

(Insert dramatic pause with elevator music while you think about your response.)

Okay, I wish I could jump through the screen, and you tell me face to face what things you have pursued that set your soul on fire. Have some stayed constant in your life? Did some fall by the wayside? Were some only meant for a season, but maybe others should have remained? Do you struggle to find things you are passionate about? Maybe you label yourself as “flighty” or “all over the place” because there are so many things you love. I realize I’m asking a lot of questions, but I like to dive in and do some deep thinking. 

I had a friend one time say I was like this little butterfly that went from one flower to another, to another and yet another. One passionate pursuit, to another passionate pursuit, to another. At first, I wanted to see this as a negative trait in my life, until I visualized the most breathtaking field of wildflowers. The little butterfly was exploring all the unique and marvelous creations. I was sharing this mental picture with someone one day, and they reminded me how that little butterfly is pollinating all those flowers as it travels from one to another. Wow. I never thought of it that way. How amazing. 

Over the years I have done a lot of pollinating. Oh my. Let me see if I can list a few flowers I have landed on. Let’s see, there is scrapbooking, blogging, jewelry making, ceramic painting, crafting, couponing, book collecting, homesteading, chicken raising, decluttering, and home remodeling. I have pursued a few careers; some I was more passionate about than others. Retail, nursing, store owner, network marketing, author, and probably a few more. I have passionately pursued Jesus, my family, bettering my health and wellness, and travel. When I step back, it is the most breathtaking view of passionate pursuits. 

My husband Jeremiah and I love to spend time evaluating our experiences. Call us weird, but it’s fun for us. We recently entered our “mid-life” years, and oh my, the evaluating got kicked into overdrive. We began to sift through each passionate pursuit we have ventured through and see the beauty in them all. We acknowledged some were for a season, some were constants, and some we needed to get back into our lives. One we kept coming back to time and time again was “writing/blogging”. We both said over and over, “man, we should have kept that one in our lives”. After we made that statement countless times, we realized something needed to be done about it. 

You see, I began “blogging” back in the archaic days before social media. We owned a scrapbook store, and it was the best way to stay connected to our customers. When life got crazy after losing that business and beginning a career in nursing, my writing became inconsistent and fell by the wayside. Facebook arrived on the scene, so I was able to get my writing fix there. I picked it up a time or two for short periods, but both times a new business was created around it, and I would throw all my focus there. I refuse to live in a sea of regrets, but there IS wisdom to be found when we evaluate our experiences. I wish my website stayed a constant in my life. 

So, what is it for you? If you were to step back and look at your passionate pursuits, is there anything you allowed to drift away that needs to be reeled back in? Listen, it’s okay for some to be only for a season. They teach you a lesson or move you to the next adventure. Is there one that you think, my goodness, that was a good one and I need it back in my life? There is no better time than now to revisit it and bring it back to the scene. 

Love, The McLeans. This website you are on right now. This post that you are reading. OH MY WORD, if you only knew how much it means to me. It represents a lot. I will attempt to express it as we spend time together, but for now, I need you to know I pray this becomes a home for you. It is a home for me. A place to house all the beautiful wildflowers I flutter around. A home for my core passions to be discussed. My love for Jesus and family. A place to camp out and have lighthearted AND deep and meaningful conversations. I pray you find encouragement and value. I take it very seriously you are spending time here. I mean that. You are on my mind more than you will ever know. I mean that too. I’m excited to see what the Lord does during our time together. I have so much on my heart, so much more to tell you, but I think it’s time we part ways for today. 

Will you do me a favor and think about your passionate pursuits? If you already know a few, will you share them in the comments? What was for a season? What is constant? What do you need to revisit? I would love the comments to be a place where I can say, okay, now it’s your turn to chat. There is something freeing about writing out our thoughts. If you don’t feel comfortable leaving them in the comments, grab a notebook and journal them out there. 

Alright. There you have it. This is a little glimpse into why this place is super special to me. Oh, how I hope to see you back here often.