Introducing Alissa...

I love October.  I love everything about Autumn actually.  I love the smell of dried leaves on the ground, the fresh, crisp air, pulling out warmer clothes from the closet, hayrides, pumpkins, delicious baked goods, the list could go on forever.  It's this time of year that I actually feel like God has given me the special gift of my favorite season.  I know it's silly to feel personally blessed by a season but the Lord and I have always had this special relationship that seems to come with the Fall.  It's not that I love Him any less in any other season but I have so many special memories of our relationship GROWING in the Fall.  Isn't that interesting that the season that everything goes to sleep is the season I remember things beginning to grow and awake in my life?

I was baptized just after summer camp the year I entered high school so it was that Fall that I began to know and experience His love for the first time.  Then after surviving some crazy youthful years and all that comes with getting through high school it was again the Fall that I started my first year of Bible college that I began to regrow and relearn about His love in a whole new world and a whole new light.  My husband and I were married late in the summer, so it was that Fall that I took on the beautiful challenge of growing into the role of becoming someone's wife.  Then both of my pregnancies were nearing their end in the Fall before each birth and I began to grow into that role of a mom even before they were born.  I could go on and on about how He continued to show me love and mercy in new ways but that list could get very, very long.  I only say all this to let you know that THIS Fall also is beginning to feel very special already.

So much is happening, and while it can be overwhelming at times, it's all been very good.  I feel very blessed.  I have two beautiful children who are growing and getting cooler and cuter everyday and a wonderful and caring husband who supports and loves me day in and day out.  I work with a very talented group of ladies as a childbirth doula and our business is really thriving these days.  It's been crazy how busy we have been supporting mamas in labor, but it's so wonderful to be able to take care of my children AND have a job that I truly love.  There is little else in life that will bring more joy and excitement than the birth of a baby and I get to share that moment with families on a frequent basis.  Wonderful!  We have a small group that we meet with regularly that challenges us, supports us and loves us and gives the word community it's true definition.  My life is really quite good, absolutely fulfilling and getting better everyday that I continue to walk with the Lord.  Praise to God for the way He stays near to those who choose to abide in Him.

So that's a glimpse of me... I hope you're still with us and interested and excited to see what we might choose to talk about next.  Please always feel free to share in the conversation.

Do you have any special connections with a particular season?  How do you feel blessed today?

I hope you excited to get to know us.  We are so excited to share with you.

Welcome...

Hello world wide web!  I think it's just about time that we finally introduce ourselves.  Over the next few weeks or so you will get to hear a little bit from all four of us, letting you know who we are and what we're about.  So let me start by telling you who we are as a group… We are Open Heart Doula.  We are made up of four women who are wives, moms, doulas, childbirth educators and trying to juggle it all.  It gets hard but we make it through by relying on our families, each other and most importantly the loving arms of a merciful Father.  Some days it feels like we are breezing along in a nice even paced two step and other days life feels a little more like (as they call it on So You Think You Can Dance) the dreaded quick step that is so complex that we just don't feel like our feet (and brains) have the capacity to keep up with it all.

We have already learned so much from each other and from working as a team.  Rachel teaches us how to handle an entire brood of children.  She does it all gracefully and full of sunshine.  There is nothing that gal can't handle.  Lexi is the most sweet and gentle mom and doula.  She does nothing without careful thought and prayer.  There aren't many in this world that seem to know the exact right thing to say in any given moment of life, but she certainly has that gift.  Danielle is our newest to the group but every moment that we get with her proves why she was certainly the right fit to make our little trio a quartet.  She is full of knowledge and wisdom and I can guarantee you'll learn something just by spending a few moments with her.  Then there's me, Alissa, the mama of the group.  I say that only because Open Heart Doula was my original vision and I always knew that I didn't want to do it alone.  Everything that we do and have done has been part of my dream from the very beginning.  Even being able to share our thoughts with the world out there in this format is a fulfillment of a dream for me.  There will be more… as I said, we'll all take some time to introduce ourselves and let you into to each of our worlds but for now let me me just say that we are excited to share our passions with you.

We hope you keep coming back for more of our hearts through the words we share and hopefully you find something that speaks to your heart as well.