When God's Timing is Not Your Own

Hi friends! How are you?! I am off social media for the next several weeks for Lent - which feels weird and also, very freeing. But I’m so glad I have this space to connect with you all! I’ll be sharing recipes and photos and updates here each week - and please email me and share what’s going on with YOU :)

Currently, I am in a period of waiting. Not a sitting around, twiddling-my-thumbs sort of thing: it’s an active waiting, an anticipation.

(Drawing by Mae Ann Watson)

I’ve shared on here that I’m working towards opening a café in East Nashville. Every week, I keep thinking the lease will be signed, and I’ve held off saying anything more until all the details were finalized. I’ve been waiting for the moment I could write a victorious post - with a picture of me holding up keys saying “It’s happening!” But after many months of negotiations and setbacks, I am realizing that this is going to be a much longer process than I thought. (And after talking to other café owners, this all seems pretty par for the course!) So - rather than stressing, I’m choosing to take a deep breath, buckle up, and just keep taking baby steps forward.

But rather than keeping all the ups and downs to myself, I thought: why not share the journey with you all? Online, I think we tend to share the big highs (and sometimes, the lows) but most of life is lived in the messy middle. In the waiting and wondering, in the dreaming and pursuing, in the small joys and disappointments - life happens. 

What I’m realizing through the process is that God’s timing is often not my timing.

It’s been a dream of mine for over 20 years to create a physical place for people to gather and connect over simple, delicious food. There were thousands of reasons this didn’t seem possible, but in 2023, I finally felt ready(ish) to take the leap. I created a business plan and began actively looking at commercial spaces. I started gathering information from realtors, architects, and contractors, commercial kitchen consultants and café-owners. I naively thought thought that signing the lease would be the easy part, but I’ve realized after months of searching (and having several spaces that I love fall through), that it’s not a quick or easy process.

Last fall, one of the spaces I looked at earlier in the year came back on the market, and I’ve been in lease negotiations ever since. (There is nothing fast about this process!) I am hopeful that I’ve found the right space, but trying to stay open-handed. There are so many unknowns, the financial risk is high, and many days, I feel terrified. Can I do this?! Am I crazy to be investing so much time and money into this dream?! But I believe in the idea. I want to create a place that will serve my community in East Nashville - with freshly-prepared food and a warm, welcoming space to gather for breakfast and lunch (and pop-up events!). So I keep going. One step at a time.

I have no idea if this will end up working out, but I’m trusting that no matter what, God’s timing is always perfect.

What about you?! Do you have a dream in your heart that you’re working toward, but the timing isn’t going according to your plan? I’d love to hear about it! We all need the encouragement of each other’s stories.

XO,

Anna

P.S. I am going to start sending the weekly meal plan in its own separate email (coming shortly). That way for those of you who JUST want the recipes and meal plan, you can get straight to it. I love having this space to write what’s on my heart, but I know some people are just here for the recipes, so I’m going to make it easy on you!