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Vulnerability is defined as the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.

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Over the past few months, I have personally gone through some of the hardest things I thought I would ever have to endure. Now, I am not completely ready to share it with the world (maybe some day I will) but I am ready to talk about some of the things that I have gotten me to the place where I am today.

The word vulnerability scares me to death, because being the introverted person that I am, it means that I will have to verbally and openly discuss things that I have gone through in my life in order to start healing from it all, and that alone petrifies me.

Vulnerability is something that many of us don’t talk about, because we are afraid of being judged by our decisions in life whether personally or professionally. But it’s also the tool that is needed when you are going through some hard things, and you just want to vent, cry, or just want someone to listen as you discuss how you are having to face some of your biggest fears.

I feel like once I was able to openly talk (or type) about some of the things that I have gone through with the people I trust the most, I was able to let go and watch God work in my life and grow me mentally, physically, and spiritually.

Want to know what being vulnerable also opened to my eyes to? That in life there are people that say that love you and would be there for you during your trials and tribulations, and are nowhere to be found. I literally could only count on only a handful of people the past few months to pray for me, to love me, or to help financially, emotionally, or physically (and for those of you that have been there and continue to be there, thank you). Sometimes the people you love the most, aren’t really who you think they are. I think that was the hardest thing to realize emotionally, because for so long I had felt proud of the organizations I was a part of, and felt proud of all the things the kids were involved in, and the direction my life and family were heading.

But I want you all to know that everyone has something they have gone through in their life, or are going to go through, that may seem like the most difficult thing they could ever face. I want you to reach out and send them an encouraging message, or call them and let them be open and vulnerable with you (without you placing any judgement), or just do a random act of kindness for them. And if you are struggling with something right now, I want you to read Romans 8:28 and know that you are LOVED right where you are at. Also, find someone to confide in and if you are too scared to take that step, write your vulnerability down in a journal. You can get through this, but you have to put in the work in order to do so.

Romans 8:28 King James Version (KJV)
²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

©2018 Sheridan Johnson @Journey with the Johnsons. All Rights Reserved.

Y’all know I try to be as transparent as possible on social media, but some things I felt like needed to be kept between Shane and I, until now.  With a lot of prayer,  and a lot of discussion between each other, we decided it would be good to share how God has restored our marriage and brought back all the things that we had lost over the years.

Now let me preface this with a little background of the two of us.  We started dating when we were in high school (16 & 17 and long distance at that) and we broke up a few times in our early years, before really committing to each other and started making strides towards getting married.

We never really discussed the major stuff before getting married (money, faithfulness, trust, family planning, etc) we kind of just went with the flow of life.  Well, that was until we decided to get married on a whim and had one of the worst years of our lives together.

That was just the beginning of the downhill battle that we faced for many years to come.

We made those vows to each other on October 10, 2010 and questioned them quite a lot in the first few years.  We didn’t really know what it meant at the time to love each other in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, until death do you part.

We just knew that whatever we would go through, we would never get divorced (yes, I know such a naive thought now that I am 30 and looking back.)  I grew up in a broken home where marriage was not a major priority and we knew we didn’t want our kids to be raised in a house where love and affection weren’t shown, and we were for sure that we didn’t want to show them constant fighting or arguing amongst the two of us.

That was until we both had cheated on each other with different people.  Let me preface that I am not going to go into specific details on the timing of our marriage or the names of the other individuals that were involved, but I am going to let you know that when you feel the need and the desire to seek out intimacy with others (whether it be an emotional affair or a physical affair) something  is lacking in your marriage and in your heart.

Shane and I were just on different pages, and we definitely never sought out counseling for help when it got difficult and we both just wanted to be away from one other (which in hindsight counseling with a licensed therapist or having open discussions with our Pastor would have probably have been the best options out there) which led to the affairs.

While we both did come clean with one another, it wasn’t easy.  It broke us completely and with a lot of tears shed, we had to forgive each other before it was ever possible to work on building back something that was completely lost.

The turning point for us was putting God at the center of it all, it seems like such an easy task right? But it was so hard for us to do for so long in the early years of our marriage.  He had to be our reason for wanting to stay together, for wanting to be a family, for asking God and each other for forgiveness, for truly confessing our love to another, and showing it.

It has not been easy, and in my nature of growing up where I felt my heart rip in half from abandonment from my biological father, I never let Shane in to love me the way I needed to be loved, to fully give myself to him and only him.  And he never really knew how to show the love to someone else or how to overcome the hard obstacles that were right in front of him.  We definitely did not honor and cherish our vows the way they were intended for.

God has changed us into two completely different people, and the thing we get most from others now is they say “I want the kind of love that you and Shane have, y’all seem to happy” and the truth is, we are.  We are happy, and in love with each other, and we love our kids with the deepest of our hearts, but that wasn’t always the case.

I want you all to know that it’s ok to speak the truth, to confess to people your sins, and your wrongdoings in life, because you know what? No one is perfect.  Not one single one of us. And if I am able to share just a glimpse of heartache and struggle with you, so that you don’t have to go through the hard stuff or turmoil with your significant other, I will.

God interceded in our marriage and saved us, and for that, we are forever grateful.

I love you all, and I hope that this story resonates with one of you, and I hope that grace will be given to each of us as we are putting our hearts out there so open, vulnerable and on the table for everyone to see.

With love,

Sheridan

Image Credit found here

It’s here! My 30th birthday! It’s funny how much I have matured in my 20’s that I truly just want to spend precious time with my family doing something very minimal (maybe dinner + a drink.)

I also have so many dreams and aspirations that have come over me throughout this past year, that I definitely want to make happen in my 30’s! So without further ado, I would like to list 30 things I hope to accomplish/do while in my thirties (in no particular order!)

• Start a side business
• Re-brand my blog/social media
• Write and publish my first book
• Read the entire Bible
• Workout consistently
• Stop biting my nails
• Capture all of my kids major milestones
• Dive into supporting other foster care/adoptive mamas
• Weed out the negative people in my life
• Become an inspiration to so many
• Guide, support, and love each one of my kids
• Be the best wife possible to Shane
• Build/buy a shed to be used as a studio
• Make date night a priority
• Show my kids how important it is to give to others
• Share Lamar’s and Rochelle’s life to many
• Travel more
• Show up fully for the friendships I have
• Decide if I want to further my nursing career
• Read meaningful/inspiring books each year
• Learn to give myself fully to God
• Grow in the church ministry
• Make education a priority in all of my kids
• Make fun new recipes to add to our family menu
• Try new and different sports/activities
• Do more self-care
• Fully take time off of social media to rest
• Be the leader God is wanting me to be
• Support each one of my kids and their activities
• Get out of my introverted shell every once in a while

Ok, I think I did it y’all! I truly hope to look back on this blog post in 10 years and see if I accomplished all of these tasks and more!

I am not doing anything “dirty” for this 30th birthday, but I want to leave you with a couple of pictures that my best friend and my hubby took of me to have proof that A. Mom does exist and B. That every once in a while I will get photographed on the other side of the lens!

Thank you all for following along my journey!!

Love always,

Sheridan

This post is definitely for all of the men out there (or the ladies that shave their faces!)

Shane is always trying out different shaving creams, and using different razors that will leave his face feeling moist and smooth! The problem is that in our small town H-E-B (we live in Texas) it really doesn’t have many options to choose from.

When The Mens Soap Company reached out me, I knew it would be the great match for Shane, and I couldn’t wait for him to try out the Himalaya Shaving Soap .

The all-natural ingredients was a huge YES for me (and Shane as well), and the smell of the soap is SO amazing!

When Shane first applied the soap, he literally used such a small amount and started to lather it all around his face/beard-as the company states “a perfect lather should be smooth, thick, bubble free and silky to the touch that helps blade glide over the skin, catching only the hair. The lather should not irritate skin during pre-shave application, shave and post-shave. Also, the post-shave skin should feel hydrated and moisturized.” It definitely did all of that and then some!

The smoothness that it left afterwards was amazing! Shane said “it was so easy to use, and I didn’t have to put any moisturizer/after shave on my face because it didn’t need it.”

Check out their shaving soap collection for other fragrance options. The Lavender soap sounds good, maybe we’ll try that next.

I would love what some of your favorite products are for shaving as well! Leave a comment below! 🙂

Xoxo,

Sheridan

©2018 Sheridan Johnson @Journey with the Johnsons. All Rights Reserved.