The Intro – A Sensible Life (Part 1 of 4)

I like to think that I’m my worst critic. I don’t care to find out if that’s true. I would love to look at my life and see something that makes sense, something worthy of praise. I know it doesn’t look that way at this point. We haven’t achieved any real financial stability. We don’t own a home. In fact… we don’t even currently live in our own place. We have four children- two more than most people would consider healthy. Believe me, I see it too. I’ve become the recipient of more than a few skeptical interactions. Let me replay one for you:

New acquaintance:
So, what brought you to California?

Me:
My husband is pursuing a career in acting, and we decided the best way to do that is to move closer to L.A.

Acquaintance:
(Sudden look of shock being quickly covered by curiosity)
…Oh! Wow. (Cautious) Do you have a time frame in mind… for how long you’ll let him do this?

Me:
(Smiling. I’ve heard this before)
Not really. We figure it’ll take 5-10 years, like most other worthwhile careers.

Acquaintance:
Oh, okay. Well, that’s great! Where do you live?

Me:
Right now, we’re living with my parents.

Acquaintance:
(Curiosity has changed to slight concern)
Oh! Well… do you have children?

Me:
We have four girls. They are as darling as they come.

Acquaintance:
(Now either thoroughly worried or thoroughly impressed)
Four?! Well… good for you two. And what do you do for work?

Me:
I’m a full-time mommy!

By now I have either scared them into ending the conversation, or they think I’m entertaining and I have made a new friend.

Before I go on, let me back up and introduce us. Hi, my name is Cindy. My actor hubby is Ben. And my girls are Jess (7), Liz (5), Winnie (3), and Adrie (1). Well… I may have changed our daughter’s names for online safety purposes. Their actual names are even more adorable, but these will have to do.

Now, I know I don’t have to explain myself to you. In all reality, I don’t think that I can explain our story in a way that will make sense… because without faith, it doesn’t. Life has often been that way for us; hard to explain, but accompanied by a feeling that is so right, and so peaceful. We believe in faith. Our whole courtship and marriage have been based on that amazing word. We have faith in God, and faith in each other. We believe that God is our Father and that He loves us. He has a plan for us… a plan of happiness. We believe that if we follow His promptings, we will always be guided in the right direction, even when we don’t see the whole path ourselves.

So far, I haven’t felt lost. There have been times, of course, when I’ve wondered what we were going to do. Times when we’ve been down to our last few dollars or when we haven’t known what the next step is. But every time we’ve gotten to that point where we don’t know what’s next, we’ve felt directed and comforted, and the decisions we’ve made in those moments have led to some of the greatest blessings in our lives.

The decision to pursue acting right now has been one of those things. I’m not sure why. I’m not saying that he’s going to be the next big star. I’m not saying we feel like this will be his lifetime career (although we obviously hope it will be). All I’m saying is that this step, at this point in our lives, feels right. We feel guided to be where we are and what we are: the actor and the full-time mom.

The Intro – Growing Up a Performer (Part 2)