Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.
Mother Teresa
Thirteen years ago our three children were the ages of 6, 3 and 1 and we were renting a small cape cod in Skippack, PA. For a bit of sanity, as a mother home with three young children, I did have a small part-time job 3 days a week for approximately 12-15 hours a week. While I worked my oldest daughter attended Camphill Special School, my son attended a preschool at a local church near where we lived, and my youngest went to the neighbor’s house and learned to speak Polish.
While getting acquainted with the Skippack and Collegeville areas I came across a massage therapy school on Egypt Road, and very excitedly decided to look into it a bit further. So I stopped by one day on my way home from work and picked up a brochure. It seemed like the absolute perfect career. I just couldn’t imagine what life would be like having a career where I could nurture others in a relaxing atmosphere, listen to relaxing music and earn a living at the same time.
After closely examining their brochure I realized the costs associated with massage therapy school at the time were somewhere between $10K-$13K. With three young kids at home and my husband just a few years into his IT career, it just wasn’t feasible for us at the time. Unfortunately, that dream got stored on the back burner and was nearly forgotten completely.
Last year I suffered a back injury while assisting a client in the shower. I had changed careers and was now working as a habilitation provider through the ARC. The back injury I sustained was a displaced disc, which resulted in me filing for workers compensation that I received for three months while attending physical therapy. This was the most painful injury I had ever had and left me feeling completely helpless. My new routine became physical therapy three times a week along with regular massage therapy appointments.
During one of my massage therapy appointments, my massage therapist happened to mention that she went to a massage therapy school in Pottstown, PA which is where we are currently residing. Through a flood of emotion and pain as she was working on my lower back I surprisingly remembered the day that I had visited the massage therapy school in Collegeville and how expensive it was and how at the time it just wasn’t a possibility. Through this back injury my husband and I decided that it just wouldn’t be feasible to continue in my career as a habilitation provider.
Very reluctantly, and so as not to get my hopes up, I researched the website of the massage therapy school in Pottstown and much to my surprise the school was only $6,500. Tears came to my eyes as I realized this could actually become a reality. My husband had just started a new job in January, which we had been praying for, and we have been very blessed with not having any insurance premiums with our HSA plus his company is actually giving us $250 a month towards our health care costs. I then got the courage to give the massage therapy school a call and was able to set up an appointment for a tour of their facility, which also involved a one hour free massage. After attending a mock day in the life of a student in a massage therapy school and learning that if I paid my tuition in full I could get a 10% reduction. I am very proud and ecstatic to say that I am three months in and well on my way to being a certified licensed massage therapist. In fact, I have already been offered two jobs as a massage therapist working in a chiropractors office. Since attending school my confidence has grown tremendously and my fears have been conquered. If you put your mind to work for you instead of against you it is amazing what you can accomplish.
My children are now 19, 16, and 14 and are not needing as much of my time and attention as they did thirteen years ago. God has blessed me with this opportunity and this time for me to soar. I am taking one day at a time and making the most of every day being successful in my new venture. I am living proof that there are still dreams to be attained even after your kids are grown.
What dreams have you put on the back burner due to other responsibilities? What is on step you can take TODAY to make one of your dreams a reality? Share your thoughts in the comments.
[Today’s post is a guest post by Kim Francis. Kim’s initial story is common for many mothers. If you are inspired by Kim’s story and are looking for ways to rekindle your dreams, I’d love to help! I’m passionate about helping mothers discover and live out their purpose. Reach out to me by email or on my Facebook page to connect.]
