Bloom Where You Are Planted

Hi, I’m Jennifer. But you can call me Jenni. 🌸

And I’m beginning to think that’s a very good thing.

I’m a mom, a special education teacher, a special-needs mom, a single woman, a dog mom, a gardener, an amateur sourdough baker who occasionally gets a little carried away, and apparently—once again—a blogger.

I’ve lived enough life to know that some seasons are beautiful, some are incredibly hard, and quite a few are somehow both at the same time.

My life hasn’t unfolded the way I imagined it would.

There have been unexpected diagnoses, motherhood that required more of me than I knew I had to give, a marriage that ended, relationships that changed, prayers that seemed to go unanswered, dreams that had to be surrendered, and seasons when I couldn’t understand what God was doing.

There has also been ridiculous laughter.

Deep friendships.
Answered prayers.
Second chances.
Gardens.
Coffee.
LOTS of sourdough bread!

A daughter who has taught me more about joy than she will probably ever realize.

And a faithful God who has met me in every single season.

Why Bloom Where You Are Planted?

For the past few years, those words have been sitting on the background of my laptop:

Bloom Where You Are Planted.

At first, I think I saw them mostly as encouragement.

Make the best of where you are.

But somewhere along the way, they began to mean something different.

I don’t think God is asking me to merely tolerate the place where He has planted me while waiting for something better.

I think He’s asking me to live faithfully right here.

There’s a verse that has come to represent that for me:

“Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them.”
— 1 Corinthians 7:17

I’ve spent a lot of years thinking purpose was something I needed to discover.

Something bigger.

Something somewhere out there.

I’m beginning to understand that perhaps purpose looks a lot more ordinary than I imagined.

Maybe it’s loving the person standing in front of me.

Showing up when it’s hard.

Making someone feel seen.

Praying for a friend.

Advocating for my daughter.

Teaching.

Opening my Bible.

Writing the words God puts on my heart.

And trusting Him with what happens next.

Apparently, I’ve Been Writing for a While

This actually isn’t my first blog.

More than a decade ago, I started writing a blog called Journey to Ordinary. At the time, writing felt almost necessary. There were things in my head and heart that simply needed somewhere to go.

Years later came Autism Keeps Me Giggling, inspired by life with my daughter, Mable, and the countless funny, unexpected, sometimes exhausting adventures that come with loving someone whose view of the world is uniquely her own.

Then I stopped writing.

Life moved on.

I changed.

And recently, something started stirring again.

Except this time, I’m not writing only about one part of my life.

I’m writing from the middle of all of it.

Faith.
Motherhood.
Special needs.
Divorce.
Cancer.
Being single.
Friendship.
Fear.
Starting over.
Growing older.
Learning to be brave.
Gardening.
Sourdough bread.
Probably coffee.
Definitely Mable stories.

And all the ordinary moments where I’m learning to recognize an extraordinary God.

Who This Place Is For

Maybe you’re a special-needs mom.

Maybe you’re raising children alone.

Maybe life looks absolutely nothing like you thought it would by now.

Maybe you’re starting over at an age when you thought you’d have everything figured out.

Maybe you’re entering a new season and wondering who you are supposed to be in it.

Maybe you love Jesus deeply but still struggle with fear, insecurity, doubt, or the nagging question:

God, what exactly are You doing with my life?

Pull up a chair.

You’re among friends here.

I won’t pretend to have everything figured out.

What I can do is tell you what I’m learning, share the stories God has given me, laugh at some of the ridiculous ones, be honest about the hard ones, and continually point us both back toward Jesus.

Because more and more, I’m becoming convinced of something:

An ordinary life surrendered to an extraordinary God is anything but ordinary.

So that’s what this little corner of the internet is about.

Learning to be faithful where we’re planted.

Trusting God with the growing.

And maybe—just maybe—blooming along the way.

I’m glad you’re here.

— Jenni 🌸