Women at the Well: The Heart of a Busy Mother
Editor’s Note: Women at the Well is an ongoing blog series. Each month, a different woman shares how God is meeting her in her current season of life. Today, we’re thrilled to have Amanda Vernon joining us to talk about her walk with God as a busy mom.
Tell us a bit about yourself, your current vocation as a married woman with young children, and your normal daily routine.
Hey! I’m Amanda Vernon! I’m a full-time recording artist and author. I live in Arizona with my husband, David, and our four children, ages: 4, 6, 8, and 10. Music is the way that my husband and I support our family full time, and it’s also the way we share the joy of knowing Christ through our Catholic faith.
At the time when I’m writing this article, my recent daily routine looks like:
-Waking before dawn to get our kids started for the day.
-Private morning prayer and a workout after the kids are off to school.
-If one or more kids stay home, David and I take turns working during the morning and into the afternoon. That’s an important, “if!” Given pandemic life, all four of our kids have been in school simultaneously for a total of 4 days this entire semester. So, if they’re home, I’m mostly in Mom Mode. Think: walks to the park, lunchtime, naptime, school work. By the time our youngsters take a nap, I usually need to nap, too!
-At some point in the afternoon, I try to glance over work messages from my administrative team; lately we are fielding lots of requests for online events and interviews. David and I also meet about various projects that we have in the works, both on the professional front and at our home (we just moved into a house of our own this summer, after renting for several years).
-Once the kids return from school, I either write or rehearse music before dinner. Then it’s time for kids’ homework, reading books, and chasing them around for bedtime.
-Typically, I crash from exhaustion shortly after our kids go to sleep. #honesty
I’m getting a little tired out by simply writing about this schedule! But I’m smiling, too. There’s a comedic dichotomy between the current chaos of our home life and the restful spiritual path that the Lord has been leading me down lately.
If we look closely, we see the hand of God working in our lives. How is Jesus reaching out to you right now, in your current season of life?
Toward the start of quarantine, I said to a close friend, “I’ll never stop running. I have to run.” I meant it both physically and metaphorically. From April through August I ran 100 miles per month! But guess what? I haven’t been able to run for months.
Physically, I have a knee injury that keeps me from running. This injury seems more than coincidental, it seems sacramental! In other words, it’s a visible sign of an invisible reality. Since August, I would say Jesus has been sitting me down.
I’ve known for a couple of years that I’ve been addicted to running. I used running to help manage my mental health, to a fault. If I felt sad, I ran! If I was angry, I ran! If I was restless, I ran! I knew that somewhere, deep down, there must’ve been some sadness that I was covering up with all of those miles. And I thought, “I’ll face it, down the road.”
Jesus seems to be telling me, in not-so-subtle cues, “You made it down the road!” It’s time to be still. And wow, has He had some things to say to me!
What truths about yourself has the Lord been revealing in prayer? How does acknowledging these truths in your heart affect your vocation in life?
I'm realizing that before I can help anyone else, before I’m even called to help anyone else, I am a singular, solitary person before God. I’m precious in His sight regardless of how I may or may not be serving others. And that is amazing! This is a truth I’ve heard all my life through our Catholic faith, yet it’s one I need to learn again on a deeper level.
And I needed stillness to learn this lesson of my own dignity! Not only did I need stillness from the typical tour life of a full-time artist (prior to COVID I traveled an average of 15 days per month, no joke), but also stillness in my body, stillness in my heart. It’s through prayer that the Lord points me toward the meaning of this change from speed to stillness.
Barbie Bauer, @barbievbauer.
It can often be easy to fall into the trap of discontent in our specific vocations. What has been bringing you peace lately? Do you have any habits, hobbies, or self care practices which fills your heart with peace?
Prayer is not an afterthought or even one other holy thing that I could add to my agenda. Prayer is my awareness of God, the Creator; prayer is my response to the Provider of all meaning. Any good fruit in my life is through prayer.
In this pause, God has especially brought me peace through the ministry of counseling. Check this out: I recently discovered a non-profit, Christian counseling service that offers pro-bono encouragement and support exclusively for full-time recording artists! Talk about a niche offering! That’s gotta be Divine Providence at work!
What words of encouragement would you like to pass on to a sister facing the same choices and challenges as you?
If you feel like your gifts and talents are suddenly going unused or unnoticed in this pause, I’m here to remind you: God’s call still persists over your life! (See 2 Timothy 1:10.) Like a flowering tree, your branches are meant to be pruned! This quiet moment of pruning will lead into another blossom and even greater fruit. Let’s trust the process of the Holy Spirit.
Has the Lord ever failed us yet?
Thanks for listening to my at-home life update! I would love to stay in touch with you via my social media accounts. And if you’re interested in regularly receiving a New Song Every Sunday + my Word for the Week article straight to your inbox, consider becoming an Amanda Vernon Patron. All proceeds benefit the Feed the Children Fund. (Those would be my children.)
Virtual hugs!
Meet Amanda Vernon
Amanda Vernon is a Catholic Evangelist and co-author of the new memoir, When God Wrecks Your Romance: Orthodox Faith, Unorthodox Story. An accomplished recording artist, she has shared her music and her faith across the U.S. and in six foreign countries, in venues as diverse as World Youth Day in Sydney and Madrid to singing the National Anthem at Lambeau Field for Monday Night Football. Amanda releases new original songs and scripture reflections weekly on her YouTube channel. Originally from the Midwest, Amanda resides in Phoenix, AZ with her husband and their four young children. Connect with Amanda on Instagram @amandavernonmusic.