Happy birthday to us! Four years ago today, on leap day, Muddy's opened its doors for the first time.
For those of you who don't know, the opening of this business was far from an idyllic process. Let's start with today's Lenten Message from my priest:
Leap day - this extra day every four years resets the calendar. What leap do we take today? What have we put off for years? Perhaps today, this rare day, this extra day, is the day for that leap of faith.
Where we leap Jesus leaps with us. Hang on tight and enjoy!
Peace, The Rev. John Sewell
This REALLY sums up what Muddy's is and was to me.
In 2007, I was in a job I wasn't good at and was having a bit of a religious crisis. I'm a pretty typical eldest child and the idea of not being in control is pretty tough for me. I was particularly having trouble with the idea that God calls the shots and isn't always fair (thank goodness) and basically that I should be in charge of my life instead of Him but that He should still be on "my side" and there when I wanted him to intervene. Sounds pretty selfish, but I think all of us are there at some point(s) or another.
I was a quivering ball of anxiety and had to reignite my relationship with Him and decided to take a leap of faith. I'd felt Him pushing me on the path toward opening the bakery, but didn't feel ready (I'd never managed more than 2 people, never been promoted, and had NO IDEA what I was doing) and wanted to do it my own way, in my own time.
I decided that my leap of faith would either be sky-diving (I am TERRIFIED in airplanes) or throwing everything I had into opening a business that I had no experience or qualifications to run. I went with the bakery, but I thought there was a good chance we'd be out of business within 6 months. However, I knew the important part was for me to learn how to trust him, to really risk something. In conversation with God, I agreed that I would give it my all, throw my savings into it, my effort, etc. and trust Him... not trust Him to make it a huge success, but trust that whether it succeeded or failed, there was something here for me to learn. I figured this was probably an elaborate character-building exercise and I'd be broke and jobless before the year was out, but I was all in anyway.
It turns out that God, of course, had His own plan. The business has succeeded in many ways so far and in ways beyond what I could've imagined; for example, I never dreamed that some of y'all would end up being close friends, would show up with old dishes for us just when we needed some, etc. But this has also been a huge character-building experience. I've learned so much about people, business, and baking. Every day is an exercise in reminding myself just whose business this is and my place in it. I'm learning stewardship.
It's been an amazing ride so far and my promise to God still remains; I'm in this, for success and failure and I will do my very best to accept gracefully and with an open mind the challenges and victories in store. Thanks to all of you for making this such a fun and life-changing experience.
xoxo, Kat
ps. I'd love to hear from y'all about YOUR leaps of faith! Feel free to comment and share your story!!!