Last night I attended a meeting of the Maryland Association of Professional Organizers (MAPO).
This is an idea I have been exploring for awhile and I wanted to see what the industry is really all about.
The Ladies that were present were from all different backgrounds and have varying areas of expertise. Some are focused on organizing businesses. One of the women has a company that helps families with estate issues. Several others are in the business of helping families and the chronically disorganized. Almost all of them are based in the greater Baltimore area and the surrounding counties.
I guess there is only one member from Harford county and no one who specializes in homeschooling families.
The business end of it sounds very complicated. I have never run a business and I would never have considered it in MD, considering the bureaucracy that runs rampant in this state. I just have been feeling called lately to a ministry to women and families who are discouraged about the way their homes and homeschools are running.
I had gone back to school to get my degree in Social Science. I figured that I would go to school while the boys are young and then about the time I graduated they would be as well. Then I did the Math. The amount of money that I would have to spend to get my degree over the next 10 years is astronomical! There is also the issue of taking classes online at night and then being fresh enough to keep up with the boys and their schooling during the day. I'm not 29 anymore...
All I really want to do is help homemakers and homeschoolers find joy in their vocation. I already have the education for that. Eventually I'd like to work as a mentor with moms who are in danger of losing their children due to lack of parenting and housekeeping skills. I don't think mentoring should require six years of college. I can work under a Social Worker for accountability.
So... I am at a kind of fork in the road. I have to discern what God is asking me to do. He tends not to speak very loud.
If I start now I will get in on the ground floor of the industry in our area and in my specialty. I will be able to build a business and a client base without much competition and I will get to start in helping people right away. Those are the positive points.
The negative side is that I will be working and Paul is only five. I will have to be out a lot. I will have to spend time working on business development and I still have three boys to educate. I will have to put money into it as well. Licensing, insurance, lawyers, etc. I can probably do most of my actual work in the afternoon hours, since this is when most homeschoolers are available.
I just don't want to be away that much. I am torn. I don't know who would be watching the boys.
It is just an idea that keeps developing. I have been reading and studying the different aspects of organizing. It is such a wonderful field. I really think it would be so good to help people feel at peace in their vocation. I know that if God has called a person to a vocation, marriage and family in this case, He also wants us to be at peace and happy in our work. I have spoken to so many moms who just don't feel happy and at peace because they can't get control of their environment.
It's really just a matter of putting systems in place that streamline the way the house and school run. I have been at it for so long and I have developed my system through lots of trial and error. Maybe I can help someone avoid some of the trial and error. Everyone has their own style, needs, and can find a system that works for them, but I think sometimes it just takes a little push to give a person the confidence.
I don't know. I guess I just have to pray harder and listen better. I don't want to go into any endeavor without an authentic sense of Blessing on whatever it is I am trying to do. This is going to be a very good topic for Spiritual Direction.
