I have to confess the reason why I appear to be absent from my blog so often.  People blog for so many different reasons. Some document their family lives. Some document their hobbies. Some write all about their work or careers.  I admit, I’ve been stuck in an identity crisis.

You see, there is Karen the children’s author. I could blog about the new stories that I post on my website.  That would go over well with all the mommies who need new stories for their children.  Then there’s Karen the inspirational author. I could blog about issues relevant to women. Yeah. Because the world is full of women. And admit it, we all have issues.
Oh wait – I could blog about being a Senior Director with Thirty-One Gifts, and why you need 31G in your life for every occasion, and why you need to call me and make me your personal gift assistant.
Do you even know a woman without a purse? No? I didn’t think so.  I rest my case.  Then there’s my career as a Disney Travel Agent. I could blog about why you need a vacation planner, and more importantly, why you need ME as that vacation planner.  Motherhood – enough said.

And all this time, each part of me has had something to say. The children’s author, who wants to tell you about a new story I’m working on. The inspirational author who wants to tell you about a new devotional book in the works. The Senior Director who wants to tell you about her promotion, and the upcoming Thirty-One Gifts leadership trip where I get to write the devotions for the ladies in attendance. And the Disney Vacation Planner who wants to tell you why I think Donald Duck should get the Father of the Year award because he’s the only father figure in Huey, Duey, and Louie’s lives. Instead, I’ve been wrestling with which Karen is the one everyone needs to hear about. Which one is “best”. What do the “experts” say is best for your personal “brand”? To separate and differentiate – that’s what I hear.  Because if you don’t, none of the other roles will be taken seriously. You’ll just be considered a hobbyist. So I think. And ponder. And debate. And not a single word is posted.  And then it hit me.

God has placed all of these things in my life. If he wanted me to write about just one, He would have only blessed me with one.  If we, being evil, know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more does God desire to give to us?  (Luke 11:13)  All of these wonderful things are who I am – what makes Karen Karen. They are all, in their own way, gifts given by God. All this time I’d been thinking about what side I want to show you, when really, isn’t a faceted stone more beautiful when you see it from afar, where all the facets and sides are shown?

I think so too.

So there you have it.  I am a mother, and yesterday I played Monopoly Junior with my kids and they loved it. I loved it too, although I suspect the yellow carousel horse has a jinx on it. What a shame, because I love yellow, and carousel horses (and will be playing with my jinxed horse regardless). I am an author who has had her children’s stories read to children in an orphanage in Nepal, by a Czechoslovakian missionary I have never met. I am a wife to a very tolerant and patient husband, who stands boldly beside me with every new adventure I take on. I am a 31 purse-lady, as my children say, and I go to 31 purse parties with my purse-lady friends. I am a leader with women all over this country from one side of the continent to the other who look up to me and give me their dreams to see them come to pass.  I am a Disney travel planner, and yes, I do have a magic wand, and I know how to use it. I am an amazing cook, and I no longer have an identity crisis.

I Am Woman, Hear Me Type.