Grace Over Grind

Apr 13 , 2025
By Eden Sahle

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Over the weekend, I attended a women’s gathering that quietly reshaped how I think about balance, ambition, motherhood, and the kind of life I want to build. The speaker did not deliver a typical keynote. She simply told her story – and in doing so, taught more than any manual ever could.

Her lessons were not laid out in bullet points. They were embedded in how she lives: intentionally, steadily, and with deep conviction. Her life challenged the narrative that women must choose between ambition and motherhood. She does not split her life into neat compartments. She has woven everything – parenting, work, faith, and creativity – into one cohesive rhythm.

One message stood out: we do not need to divide ourselves to live a whole life. Presence and purpose matter more than perfection. This woman had home-schooled eight children for over a decade while running a company, consulting for international organizations, and creating a home pulsing with learning and love. Not separately, simultaneously.

Her approach to education blended structure and freedom. Science experiments mixed with Ethiopian history lessons, art projects with baking bread. Learning was not confined to grades or classrooms; it was rooted in curiosity, character, and community. It reminded me that some of the best lessons are lived, not lectured.

Health, in her world, was not a trend but a family ethic. If it was not safe enough to eat, it was not safe enough to use. Whether in the ingredients at her organic bakery or the lotion on her skin, this simple standard guided her choices. A quiet but radical mindset: choose care over convenience.

Then there was her take on time. Home-schooling eight kids might sound like a constraint, but for her, it became a training ground for leadership and clarity. She did not just manage her time; she sharpened it, using the limits to create deeper focus. Sometimes, constraints can birth clarity.

She also spoke openly about grief, exhaustion, and doubt. Her honesty grounded everything she said. It taught me that steadiness does not come from having it all figured out. It comes from being anchored in something deeper: faith, discipline, and purpose.

The idea that marriage is a partnership built on presence, not just division of labour stood out. She and her husband see their marriage not as a split workload, but as a shared mission. Even during long stretches of physical separation because of work, they prioritized connection. Not just logistics – but presence.

In their business, they have chosen values over speed. No rush to scale. No race to impress. Just quiet, consistent work anchored on integrity. It was a reminder: build slowly, grow well.

What stayed with me most was how joy and creativity were not side pursuits in her life, they were essentials. Gardening, baking, painting, and jewellery making; were not indulgences. They were reset buttons. Acts of joy that flowed into how she taught, led, and loved.

That afternoon did not leave me with a checklist. It left me with something better: a deeper belief that a meaningful life is not about doing more. It is about doing what matters: with care, consistency, and conviction.

We do not need to mimic her life to learn from it. The real lesson is that ambition and family are not at odds. We do not have to do everything all at once. However, we can live with deep intention, which is what lasts.

Her life taught me more than any résumé could. It was not about juggling it all. It was about moving through life with clarity: rooted in purpose, people, and faith.

She explained how homeschooling became her way of equipping her children with practical skills and moral grounding. As a mother, it made me reflect on the kind of intentionality required to truly give my best. She did not just teach lessons; it was about building character and helping her children use their skills at their own pace, engage with their community, and follow their curiosity.

Far from draining her, home-schooling eight kids strengthened her. It made her more creative, more grounded, and more capable. Her story reminded me that our hardest roles could become our greatest sources of growth when we live them with purpose.

Her children grew up without phones or television. She and her husband chose to protect them from screens during those critical early years. I felt a deep kinship with that. My husband and I have made the same decision: no phones or TV around our daughter. It is not always easy, but we want her childhood grounded in connection, not noise.

What made the speaker unforgettable was not just her list of accomplishments. It was the humility with which she told her story. She defined leadership not by output, but by stewardship. Her life felt like a mosaic of many distinct pieces forming a single, beautiful whole.

She did not pretend to be invincible. She spoke of grief, of losing her father, of failure and exhaustion. However, she also spoke of the forces that kept her steady over the years: prayer, discipline, purpose, and faith.

Inspiring individuals like her remind us that whether we are raising children, running a business, or holding a family together; what sustains us is not the grind, but the grace we bring to our daily work.

We are not meant to do everything. But in each season, we can give what matters our full attention. We can choose what restores our soul. That is where fulfilment begins.

In a world that prizes hustle and wears burnout like a badge, her story offers a different truth: You do not have to do it all. Just do what matters, deeply and well.

We do not need to be everything. We just need to be present, purposeful, and grounded. Sometimes, that teaches more than any textbook ever could.

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PUBLISHED ON Apr 13, 2025 [ VOL 26 , NO 1302]

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