Today we’d like to introduce you to Candace Johnson.
Hi Candace, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My carefully curated life with a husband and two children was imperfectly perfect, until abruptly, it wasn’t. I kissed my husband before he walked out the door, and an hour later, I was a widow and single mother of two children, the oldest six, and the youngest three.
I decided very quickly that I needed to rewrite my story. My role at home now needed to include being the sole provider, nurturer, disciplinarian, cook, driver, protector, handyman, housekeeper, bug killer, etc. I needed to learn how to be everything and do it (most days), with strength and a good attitude. I was determined that my children weren’t going to lose both parents in the same year; one due to a heart attack, and the other due to failure to persevere. So I wrote into my new reality that I would no longer entertain my excuses, and “Just Do It” took on a more personal meaning. Procrastination wasn’t an option. No one was coming to do things for me. In this new life, as much as I could, I gave 100% to everything, even when physical, emotional, and mental fatigue were banging down my door.
At the time, I had been working in Marketing for years in corporate America, holding roles at Fortune 500 companies and advancing in title. I also began starting new businesses as an entrepreneur by reviving the dormant creative gifts God had given me. I was successful in both and made a lot of money, but I was passionate about neither. The thing that truly made my heart fill to capacity with joy was caring for and helping others. That’s where I felt most rewarded: when I gave.
Passion usually equates to your calling. Was this somehow my calling?
For years, I wasn’t sure what my calling was. So I definitely didn’t feel like I was operating in it. Then one day, someone told me, “Your calling doesn’t always have to look like this grand, publicly known… thing.” [Wait what?] I was told, “The peace that I feel whenever I’m around you is invaluable. That’s why I asked to meet up today. I had a crappy day and wanted to be around your positive energy.” [This next part is uncomfortable for me to type; humility typically keeps me quiet on the matter. But it’s needed to drive this article home.] I was told, “The way I see you acknowledging service workers with a smile and asking how their day is going, is impactful. I can see the shift in their moods when it happens.” I was told, “The way you smile AT EVERYONE and stop what you’re doing to engage in small talk, you go out of your way to help those less fortunate, you converse with them, and ask for their names so you can pray for them, you don’t treat anyone like they’re invisible. You make people feel seen. That’s your gift. That’s your calling.”
In that moment, the puzzle pieces that had been scattered about in my mind for years all started snapping into place. That moment will forever be a core memory, and it helped me see a perspective beyond my own. While I had been waiting for my calling to be revealed to me, I had in fact already been carrying it out daily for years without realizing it. I do and have done these things because I just… REALLY enjoy doing them. In my mind, it was insignificantly, “just who I am.” But now, now I know that to these recipients, it was something much bigger.
My kids are now teenagers in high school, and metaphorically, holding their own pens, writing the beginnings of their own stories. As much as teenagers believe they already know everything, my prayer is that they incorporate the positive things I’ve tried to impart along the way into their narratives: I raised them in a home full of laughter–so don’t take life so seriously. I taught them to be self-sufficient and independent–there’s freedom and a sense of accomplishment in knowing how to do stuff! I’ve impressed upon them that anything worth having is worth putting the work into–if it’s important enough to you, you’ll find a way. I’ve taught them that the easiest way to do a hard thing is to first set your expectations that it’s going to be hard–mindset is key. I always tell them that faith and fear both require you to believe in something that hasn’t yet happened–Always choose faith! I’ve told them to choose truth-telling and accountability over excuses–that shows maturity and earns the trust of others. And I enveloped them in love, showed love to others, and expect them to do the same–love always wins!
My story isn’t one of corporate success or building a dream business from the ground up. It’s about being tossed around by life and choosing to keep getting up. Not so much out of love for myself, but an unwavering love for others and the desire to show up. My story is about striving to be a bright light in a dimming world, understanding that I can (and do) make a difference, and that small acts of kindness can be monumental when weighed on the scales of love.
My charge to those reading this is to choose perseverance. Choose gratefulness. Choose forgiveness. And choose happiness. Any event can alter the circumstances of our lives at any moment. And our tomorrows aren’t promised. So with that knowledge, live intentionally. Seasons change, time slows for no one, and things that once were will no longer be. Live boldly for today, let tomorrow worry about itself, and love with intention!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/candygrl1913
