At the end of last years wedding season, I made a tough decision that I knew I had to make, I started saying “no.” No, a simple two letter word that can hold a lot of power in our lives. We might associate it negatively, it might be the word our parents would tell us when we asked to go to a concert in Minneapolis when we were 17, (I’m looking at you, parents) it could be the word we hear from our spouse or work or friends but the word “no” has taught me a lot about myself this past year. The truth was, I knew I needed to cut back if I wanted to stay in love with my job. Sure, I worried about our income, worried about my business, worried about my anxiety, and worried how a summer of “less” would feel, but what I didn’t expect was what my series of “no”s led me to. I’ve been preaching less is more but what I actually realized is that saying no to excess has allowed me to say yes to the things I was lacking.
“Yes” to Sunday mornings at church, “yes” to Friday night dates at the drive in theatre, “yes” to ten day trips to Europe with my mom and sister, “yes” to weekends away with Drew, and “yes” to last minute requests to fly to the Dominican Republic to photograph a mission trip with Healing Waters. I got an email in my inbox from a girl named Kayla. My dear friend and former Bachelorette, Des Hartsock, had passed along my information to help them create some watercolor art for their new initiative! Within 18 hours and a few emails back and forth, not only was I helping with the watercolor, I was agreeing to board a flight to the Dominican Republic and photographing a week long mission trip with some incredible humans! Ed (the 75 year old CEO) and his darling wife, Joyce, are leading a trip where we will spend time with the Dominican women leading health fairs centered on hygiene and wellness, we will be giving fresh water, spending time at a local school with hundreds of kids, and doing a “water walk” with the women from their homes to the springs to get their water!
On top of doing these amazing things, I get to connect with some impactful women who hearts are on fire for changing the world, for setting an example, for following Jesus in their lives. From my no-longer-Bachelorette friend, Des, to an adorable fashion blogger Kathleen of Carrie Bradshaw lied, with Kayla who is leading The Her Initiative and Lauren of Sunshades and Snowflakes! We get to team up to help impact these lives, pour into them, and spread the movement of sharing the gospel all over the world. I am so thankful for this opportunity and when I think of what my life would look like if I had said “yes” to everything that came my way last year, these would be the kind of things I would be forced to say “no” to and that would break my heart. The power of saying “no” gave me the ability to jump at adventures like this, to commit to traveling, to giving back. The truth is, I have learned that living with less means more, that giving is better than getting, and that you never regret the trips you take. I am so thankful to be on this trip, so stay tuned for updates and posts on each day of our adventures! If you are the praying kind, please pray for safety, health, and that God would work through each of us in our time together!
To follow our journey, hop to Instagram: @jennakutcher