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Finding Purpose in the Hard Seasons
HEY SUNSHINES! It has been a while.
Life Has Been…Interesting.
I have been out of work from my full-time job since November of 2025 and this season has looked nothing like I thought it would.
There has been a lot happening behind the scenes that most people never see.
Healing. Anxiety. Family responsibilities. Financial stress. Health issues. Plans changing. Doors closing. New ones opening. Days filled with hope and days when simply getting through the day feels like an accomplishment.
Breanna has been walking through her own incredibly difficult season with an illness that has left her unable to work and, many days, unable to do much of anything at all.
And then there is Nolan.
He is always there when we need him.
Sometimes that means hanging a banner.
Sometimes it means carrying tables, loading or unloading something, moving supplies, or figuring out how we are going to get something from one place to another.
Sometimes he uses his dad’s equipment to help us move things that we definitely could not move ourselves.
He just steps in.
He is still young, and I never want him to feel like he has to carry responsibilities that are not his, but I cannot ignore the blessing he has been to us.
He does his best to help take care of the people around him, and he truly tries to be the man of the house. I am incredibly proud of the young man he is becoming.
My 76-year-old mom also moved in with us about a year ago, so our home has become a little bit of everything all at once, three generations under one roof, everybody needing something different, everybody helping where they can, and all of us navigating life together.
It can be chaotic.
it can be exhausting.
It can be funny.
It can be beautiful.
Sometimes all in the same day.
And this season has changed our circle too.
Some people we thought would always be part of our lives are no longer here.
Some relationships have changed. Some people have quietly stepped away. Some endings have hurt more than I expected them to.
But at the same time, God has brought new people into our lives — sometimes from the most unexpected places.
People who encourage us.
People who pray for us.
People who show up.
People who believe in what we are trying to do.
People who have reminded us that not every ending is simply a loss. Sometimes making room for something new is part of the season too.
I am learning not to spend so much time chasing who left that I miss the people God is placing right in front of us now.
And somehow, in the middle of all of that, Sunshine Creations keeps finding its way into our lives.
Not because everything is easy.
Not because we have endless time or resources.
And definitely not because we have our lives perfectly together.
Quite the opposite.
We are just a family trying to walk through our own hard things while still making room to care about somebody else’s.
My dad used to say something that has stayed with me my entire life:
“Don’t do what’s easy. Do what’s right, and then what’s right will become easy.”
I live by those words in many situations.
Because helping people is not always the easy thing.
Showing up when you are exhausted is not easy.
Caring when your own life feels heavy is not easy.
Giving when you do not feel like you have much to give is not easy.
Asking for help is not easy.
Continuing to believe in something when you are discouraged is definitely not easy.
But we still try to do what is right.
And for us, what is right is helping people.
Even in the middle of our own turmoil.
Even on the anxiety-filled days.
Even when we are tired.
Even when we do not know exactly how we are going to pull something off.
Even when quitting would be easier.
We keep coming back to the same thing...
People.
If you follow Sunshine Creations, you have probably seen Breanna posting, planning, helping, coming up with ideas, and caring about families she has never even met.
You have probably seen Nolan carrying something, setting something up, moving equipment, hanging a sign, or quietly doing whatever needs to be done.
You may see my mom in the background of our life too, because this has become a household where family, ministry, community, caregiving, and everyday life all overlap.
What you do not always see are the days behind those posts.
The anxiety-filled days.
The exhausted days.
The days when one of us says, “I just can’t today.”
The days when life feels really heavy.
We are sharing this because this is real life.
And somehow, in one of the hardest seasons of our lives, serving other people has given us something incredibly important...
Purpose.
Sunshine Creations has changed so much from where it began. What started with creating things and hosting events has slowly grown into something much bigger in our hearts.
We have helped families.
Collected school supplies.
Supported teachers.
Helped veterans.
Connected people with resources even when we needed the resources ourselves.
Supported local businesses.
Planned fundraisers.
Hosted community events.
Given away what we could.
Dreamed about what we could do if we had just a little more.
And somewhere along the way, we realized something very clearly...
Our cause is people.
We don't have just one cause.Because people do not have just one need.
Sometimes someone needs groceries.
Sometimes a parent needs help putting Christmas gifts under the tree.
Sometimes a small business owner needs someone to help them get noticed.
Sometimes someone needs encouragement.
Sometimes someone needs resources.
Sometimes someone needs prayer.
And sometimes someone just needs to know that somebody sees them.
For us, this has become part of what it means to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
Not just talking about loving people.
Actually loving them.
Not just saying we should help.
Helping.
Not waiting until life is perfect, the bank account is full, our health is perfect, or we have everything figured out.
Showing up with whatever we have right now.
And believe me, we definitely do not have everything figured out.
There is no huge organization behind Sunshine Creations.
There is no giant budget quietly funding everything we do.
A lot of the time, it is simply us asking, praying, brainstorming, connecting people, sharing posts, planning events, asking businesses for support, gathering donations, and trying to figure out how to turn an idea into something that actually helps somebody.
There are days when the ideas are much bigger than our resources.
There are days when anxiety tells us to shut everything off and disappear for a while.
There are days when we wonder whether any of it is making a difference.
And then somebody reaches out.
A family needs something.
A business needs help.
A community opportunity appears.
Someone sends a message that reminds us why we started.
And somehow we find ourselves saying “Okay, God. What can we do?”
One of the dreams that has grown out of all of this is much bigger than the Front Yard Food Pantry.
We absolutely want to reopen the pantry hopefully by November 15th.
We want to create a Christmas Toy Shop where families can choose gifts for their children at no cost.
But those things are only part of the bigger vision.
Our dream is to someday have a permanent community hub where all of these pieces can come together.
A place where families can get food.
A place where children can receive Christmas gifts.
A place where people can connect with resources.
A place where local organizations, ministries, businesses, volunteers, and families can work together instead of everyone trying to do everything alone.
A place where we can host classes, support programs, donation drives, community events, outreach opportunities, and whatever else God puts in front of us.
A place where someone who is struggling does not have to wonder where to turn.
A place that says...
You are seen. You matter. And you do not have to walk through this alone.
That is the bigger dream.
The pantry is part of it.
The toy shop is part of it.
The events are part of it.
The business partnerships are part of it.
The ministry is part of it.
Every family helped is part of it.
Every volunteer is part of it.
And every person who chooses to believe in what we are trying to build becomes part of it too.
Which brings me to something you have probably seen us talk about a LOT lately.
Hockey for Hunger.
Yes, we have been posting about tickets.
A lot.
I know some of you have probably scrolled right past a few of those posts.
I probably would too if I did not know the story behind them.
But I want people to understand something...
This is not really about hockey tickets.
The hockey game is the opportunity.
The people are the reason.
On October 16, we will be at Greensboro Gargoyles Opening Night for Hockey for Hunger.
Our goal is to fill the stands and use this opportunity to create momentum for the outreach work we are trying so hard to grow.
Every person who buys a ticket is doing more than filling a seat.
You are helping us show that people in this community believe in helping one another.
You are helping us build relationships and partnerships.
You are helping us create opportunities to reopen the pantry, grow the Christmas outreach, and move closer to that bigger dream of having a permanent community hub.
You are helping us prove that this vision is worth continuing.
And I will tell you something else honestly.
Asking people for help is hard.
Posting over and over is hard.
Sending messages is hard.
Wondering whether people are tired of hearing about something is hard.
When you care deeply about something, every unanswered message and every post that gets ignored can start to feel personal.
But then I remember why we are doing it.
I think about the families who have used our pantry.
I think about the children we have been able to help.
I think about the teachers, veterans, small businesses, ministries, and families we have met along the way.
And I think about my dad’s words again...
Don’t do what’s easy. Do what’s right.
For us, walking away would sometimes be easier (Breanna won't let me do that though; my wise beautiful daughter).
Not asking would be easier.
Not putting ourselves out there would be easier.
But if we know there are people who need help, then doing what is right means continuing to try.
This was never about selling tickets just to say we sold tickets.
It is about what those tickets can make possible.
The truth is, we know what hard feels like.
We know financial stress.
We know illness.
We know anxiety.
We know caregiving.
We know uncertainty.
We know what it feels like when life does not go according to plan.And I think that is part of why helping people has become so important to us.
When you have walked through hard things yourself, it becomes really difficult to look away when somebody else is struggling.
So we keep trying.
Sometimes imperfectly.
Sometimes exhausted.
Sometimes anxious.
Sometimes unsure of what comes next.
But we keep trying.
Because this gives us purpose.
Because people matter.
And because we believe God calls us to be the hands and feet of Jesus, even when our own hands feel tired.
Maybe being the hands and feet of Jesus does not always look like some huge dramatic act.
Maybe sometimes it looks like putting groceries in a little pantry.
Maybe it is buying school supplies for someone else’s child.
Maybe it is helping a family at Christmas.
Maybe it is sharing a local business.Maybe it is checking on someone who is struggling.
Maybe it is connecting a person with a resource they did not know existed.
Maybe it is volunteering a few hours.
Maybe it is a teenager helping hang a banner because somebody needs an extra set of hands.
Maybe it is buying a $20 hockey ticket because you know that ticket is connected to something much bigger.
Maybe it is simply showing up.
That is what we are asking our community to do right now.
Show up.
Come to the game.
Bring your family.
Bring your friends.
Bring your church group.
Bring your coworkers.
Bring your team.
Bring your business.
Come meet us before the game.
Come laugh with us.
Come enjoy hockey with us.
Come be part of the community we are trying so hard to build.
And if you cannot come, share what we are doing with someone who can.
Because every share, every ticket, every sponsor, every volunteer, every prayer, every donation, and every person who tells someone else about what we are trying to do helps.
I have no idea exactly what the next chapter of my life looks like.
Neither does Breanna.
Nolan is growing up right in front of me.
My mom is entering another season of her life under our roof.
All four of us are in different places, with different needs, different challenges, and different roles.
There is still a lot we are walking through.
There are still unknowns.
There are still anxiety-filled mornings.
There are still hard days.
But I do know this...
I do not want the difficult seasons of our lives to be wasted.
If God can take some of the hardest things we have walked through and use them to make us notice people differently, love people harder, serve people better, and understand someone else’s struggle a little more…
then we are going to let Him.
Romans 8:28 has always meant a lot to me and over time it feels lived.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him…”
All things.
Even the things we would never have chosen.
Even the painful things.
Even the uncertain things.
Even the seasons we do not understand yet.
So maybe that is my life update.
We do not have everything figured out.
We are not pretending everything is wonderful.
We are a family walking through some pretty hard things who have decided that, on the days we are able, we still want to do some good in this world.
We want to love people.
We want to serve people.
We want to create community.
We want to connect people with help.
We want to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
We want to keep doing what is right, even when what is right is not the easiest thing.
And someday, we hope to have a place where all of those things can happen under one roof.
For now, we are taking the next step in front of us.
And right now, that step is Hockey for Hunger.
October 16 • Greensboro Gargoyles Opening Night
Come sit with us.
Come meet the family behind the posts.
Come be part of something bigger than a hockey game.
Because this is not just about filling seats.
It is about building something.
It is about feeding people.
Helping families.
Creating connections.
Restoring hope.
And reminding people that community still matters.
My dad taught me-
Don’t do what’s easy. Do what’s right, and then what’s right will become easy.
We are still working on the “easy” part.
But we are going to keep trying to do what is right.
Our cause is people.
And we would love for you to be part of it.
Tickets have been discounted to $20. We have reserved section 105 and 112 so far.
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