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Maggie Whitley

joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith & simple living

You are here: Home / adventures / Los Angeles / An abundance of beauty.

An abundance of beauty.

November 19, 2013 · 11 Comments
Filed Under: Los Angeles, seasons

red-house-gussy-sews

Living in Los Angeles hasn’t been the easiest thing I’ve ever done.

snort — But then again, since we got married, what really has been super easy?

We have often chosen the more difficult road, the bumpier road, the more adventurous road, the more “this is what God is telling us to do” road, and coincidentally, living in Los Angeles is one of those roads.

I feel so blessed to have had the experiences we have had, although I know many of you have had much more difficult of experiences. Our trip to Tanzania — the one that taught us so much about saying yes to God, the one that tested my faith in the most intense of way last fall, the one that confirmed my faith in the most beautiful of way (hello, little baby in my belly) — that trip is what pushed us over the edge and affirmed for us that yes, we need to move to Los Angeles.

Funny how the moments we hear God speaking to us the loudest are often the ones that are the most challenging.

At least, that’s been our experiences :)

We’ve been here in the big city for about 15 months, but it’s hard.

Daily I choose to make it our home. We don’t have a lot of “stuff”, and I’ve had to learn to be OK with that.

Daily I choose to encourage Zack and cheer him on with this career.

Daily I choose to not let the traffic eat away my patience; daily I choose to not let the homelessness within the city become something I get used to seeing.

Daily I choose to find a way — even if it’s different from what’s worked in the past — to be the  best mama to Maxwell, a companion to Bauer, a meal cooker for our family, a friend developer, a handmade business owner and a daughter of Christ. Sometimes it feels overwhelming to be so many things, but when I focus on living life and being present in each moment, it doesn’t see that overwhelming :) In fact, in doing so I see an abundance of beauty.

In a city where it’s easy to feel lost & swallowed up, I remember this verse:

“I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame,” Psalm 34:4-5

I know without a skip in my breath that living here is what’s right for right now — there’s an abundance of beauty here.

I just have to be looking for it.

PS. How gorgeous is that photo of the  red house with the red flowers (above)? I saw it while out on an afternoon walk. So so lovely.

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11 Comments
Filed Under: Los Angeles, seasons

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Comments

  1. Sarah says

    November 19, 2013 at 4:12 am

    Sayin’ Hi to you this morning. Thanks for sharing. Waiting on the Lord is quite the experience :) Sometimes (just sometimes) I wish I could peer into the future to see where we will be, where our kids will be, etc. Especially now as we are waiting on God to lead us to a new house (still in our same area just with the needs of 4 growing kids). This life is quite a journey!

    Reply
    • gussy sews says

      November 19, 2013 at 9:15 am

      @Sarah, if we could peek I’m afraid I’d hesitate to say “yes” because I’d have more time to overthink ;)

      Reply
  2. Ann says

    November 19, 2013 at 4:15 am

    What a special post that was. Thank you, bless you and I will pray for you!

    Reply
  3. Mariah says

    November 19, 2013 at 7:05 am

    Every day, it is a choice! You’re so right. Thank you for the reminder that every day is a new opportunity to choose what is best! You’re living out Jeremiah 29:7! Woohoo!

    Reply
  4. Amanda M. says

    November 19, 2013 at 11:21 am

    Beautiful. And that’s my favorite verse to rely on for strength. I love what you said about not getting used to seeing homelessness.<3

    Reply
  5. Lindsay says

    November 19, 2013 at 7:08 pm

    I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the “hats” I wear every day (wife, mother, cook, “maid,” chauffeur, blogger, friend, etc). It is definitely a daily decision to keep doing all the things that I do. Although exhausting, I know that I’m making the right choices. Thanks for posting. It’s nice to know I’m not alone!

    Reply
  6. hayley says

    November 19, 2013 at 9:45 pm

    Girl. You are so lovely.

    Reply
  7. Kara says

    November 20, 2013 at 5:21 am

    I literally just posted on my FB page about how it’s all in your perspective, how you choose to see things and have the attitude you have. This morning I turned off my alarm and fell back asleep, waking up at the latest time I ever sleep in to when I have to go to work. Instead of saying “Whew! Luckily I woke up on time,” I chose to acknowledge God’s presence in my life and said “Thank You for getting me up on time.” It’s all about our daily choices and perspective!

    Reply
  8. heather cloudt says

    November 20, 2013 at 7:57 pm

    Our marriage of 15 years is one that amazes me. It too has not always been the smoothest road but when I look back I can’t help but rejoice that we saw God thru it all! As we get ready to move far to another state, relocate four kids and start all again I love to see posts (like this one) that remind us our heavenly father still wants us to dream, to hope, to trust!

    Reply
  9. Christie @ Bake for Coffee says

    December 19, 2013 at 1:21 pm

    Hi Maggie,
    I came to your blog today knowing I would feel inspired and motivated. I’ve been struggling with a few things, making my apartment that feels so temporary, to feel more cozy and more of a home. I see how simply you guys live yet how rich your lives are and how you guys just make things work. My husband and I are possibly going to start trying for a baby, and I have always had these visions of no debt, owning a home, having a baby room set up for a baby, having everything perfectly in line before bringing another life into this world. But that isn’t reality for many people I am realizing. I love your truthfulness and willing to share your life, struggles, and happy times, you have no idea how much it helps to hear all aspects of others lives to kind of validate being in the same boat as being OK. We are in our early thirties, and have taken a longer, bumpier road with life as well, but really feel it is time to have a baby, mentally we feel ready, plus we aren’t getting any younger ;) Seeing that you guys too live in an apartment with a baby, with careers, busy city, etc makes me feel like anything is possible, and you just make it work. Thank you for your whole-hearted honesty and for continuously sharing your thoughts!

    Reply
  10. Lyssa says

    March 19, 2014 at 10:01 am

    Thank you for sharing, it is inspiring and fantastic to hear. My husband and I are moving to LA this summer. Do you have any advice for neighborhoods you’ve loved or avoided? Again, thank you for writing. It is such an encouragement for many.

    Reply

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ABOUT MAGGIE WHITLEY DESIGNS:
Maggie Whitley weaves her writings around joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith, and simple living. She homeschools her children, enjoys a quiet room while reading, and roars with laughter over the challenges & delights of motherhood. Maggie and her husband, along with their four young children, live in metro-Detroit. She has been writing online since 2008.
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I fought every internal comment I could think of a I fought every internal comment I could think of and took my kiddos for a looooong walk today before dinner. ❄️✨ There’s just so much work required to raise children! I’m feeling like a tired lady. But sunshine & fresh air are good companions to keep around. 

We came home and I made “the best dinner ever”. Max specifically announced, “it’s so great you’re launching new meals to the world”. LOL— kids! 🤣👏🏻💓
How about a little Wednesday night introduction? 😘Social media sure has changed over the years and we don’t always SEE who we’re following or remember WHY we’re following certain accounts. 

So, hello! As you can gather, my name is Maggie ;) 

I started writing online (almost 13 years ago) to share the handmade products I was sewing. My shop was called Gussy Sews. ✂️👛I love the community that has grown from sewing & sharing online.

Let’s FFW to today: Zack and I live in Michigan and have four young children (2 boys & 2 girls). I slowly left the handmade industry and walked right into homemaking, homeschooling, and encouraging women through writing. 💕📝

Motherhood has been very hard on me. (And not just because of how close in age our four children are.) It’s been hard for me because I fought for years to accept that *it’s supposed to be hard*. 

I mean, how do you effectively teach another person to know and love the Lord? Bc that’s how I think of motherhood: a calling to nurture others by studying the One who nurtures me. So I gotta make the first move: study the Bible and seek Him first. As my friend Autumn reminded me, vulnerability births transformation. 

(I’ve had to be really vulnerable!)

So, yes motherhood has fully transformed me. But even more so, Christ has fully transformed me. My list of “all that He’s done for me” is off to a beautifully long start.

Something else I want you to know about me: I stalled for years before acknowledging I have anxiety and depression. It’s hard to talk about this because of course this isn’t forever “my hardship”, but rather because acknowledging this means to heal I have to work through some really difficult things. ✨

But my friend Jesus walks alongside me. He’s already done a mighty work in my heart, including helping me process my anger in healthier ways. I’ve also adopted a heart for sisterhood, mothering, and Titus 2 mentorship.

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Just a few cheery memories from my week! How about you?
Book reading! One of my best “Maggie” activiti Book reading! One of my best “Maggie” activities. I finished my last book moments before 2020 ended, which brought my started list to a close. Small joys add up to big joys ;)

What are you reading this year? Currently?

How many books are you planning to read? What’s your goal?

I’ll share what’s on my list for 2021 soon as I received some nice titles at Christmas. 📖✨🤍
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