Why Kind Rooted Matters to Me!

One of the many reasons I felt deeply inspired to create Kind Rooted comes from my own journey and the journey of my children. I live with multiple disabilities, and several of my children face their own health and learning challenges. For much of my life, I felt different. I never quite felt like I fit in. Growing up, I navigated Tourette Syndrome, Scoliosis, a rare spinal infection, anxiety, and the heartbreaking loss of my father at a young age. I wore back braces, took medications that often made me feel worse, and at one point carried a loud IV pump with me everywhere; including to school. While many people saw my differences, I often felt like they only saw my struggles.

For years, I didn't see the beauty in being different. I only saw the things that made me stand out. It wasn't until much later in life that I began to understand that God had a purpose in all of it. He created me exactly as I am, and the experiences that once made me feel like I didn't belong became the very reason I could help others feel seen, loved, and valued. He allowed me to walk a path that would help me understand what it feels like to be overlooked, misunderstood, and left out. And because of that, I can now help my own children feel seen, loved, valued, and celebrated for exactly who God created them to be.

As our children have grown, our family has navigated many hardships and challenges of our own. While there have been difficult seasons, those experiences have taught us some of life's most important lessons: the importance of making people feel included, loved, valued, and seen exactly as they are. They have taught us that our differences are not flaws that they are gifts. The things that make us unique are often the very things God uses to connect us with others. If we had never walked through the struggles we have faced, we may never have been able to understand, encourage, or inspire the people whose paths cross ours today. I truly believe that every one of us was created with purpose. We are each made exactly as we were meant to be, carrying experiences, strengths, and stories that can touch the lives of others in ways no one else can.

That belief is what Kind Rooted was built upon. Kind Rooted was created to be a place where everyone belongs. A place where people feel loved, welcomed, valued, and accepted. A place where kindness matters, where differences are celebrated, and where every person is reminded that they have worth. Because the truth is, I never want someone to feel the way I felt growing up. I never want a child, a parent, or anyone else to wonder if they belong. 

I want people to know there is a place for them here. A place where they can come exactly as they are. A place where they can feel seen. A place where they can feel loved. A place where they can feel rooted in purpose. A place where they can relate to the hardships life has or is throwing at them. 

In many ways, Kind Rooted is the space and mission I wish I had growing up. It's the community I longed for when I felt different. It's the encouragement I needed when I felt alone. It's the reminder I needed that I was never broken, never less than, and never defined by my challenges. My hope is that through Kind Rooted, every person who walks through our doors, visits our shop, participates in our acts of kindness, or becomes part of our community knows one thing: You belong here. You are loved. You are valued. You were created with purpose. And the very things that make you different may be the same things God uses to touch the lives of others. That is the heart behind Kind Rooted. Because every person matters. Every story matters. And every single one of us has been given the opportunity to make the world a little kinder simply by sharing who we are.