Mom Crush Monday- Leanne Cantelon
Its "Mom Crush Monday!" This week our mom crush is, Leanne Cantelon. Leanne is a mama of 3 beautiful children, an amazing photographer, a talented musician and a lover of God.
Something I have always admired about Leanne is her ability to selflessly love. I see the way she serves her family, her husband, her community, and her church and it inspires me to do the same. Leanne has a beautiful ability to SEE people and she doesn't need to be "seen" while doing it. You know how some people serve just to be seen doing it? Leanne is the antithesis of that person.
You see it in the way she captures the beauty in others in her photographs. The way she loves others and views the beauty in them comes through so clearly in every photo she takes. Go ahead and look for yourself (@leannecantelon on instagram.... I'll wait) SEE told you. Ok now back to gushing over her.. She is such a great example of how I would LIKE to parent my kids. She seems to always keep her cool (teach me your ways) and take her time to explain things to her kids and help guide them through the tough lessons. I haven't spent a tremendous amount of time with her, but honestly she has been referenced in so many different conversations as the example of how to effectively TEACH your kids. She respects them, honors their feelings, embraces their curiosity, and invites them into deep conversations. Her kids are absolutely flourishing as a result of the light and love she sheds onto them.
Story time, about a year and a half ago, I ran into Leanne at our Church and she and I had a very brief conversation, it was nice but I thought it was just your typical church hello, (come on we all have had them) but something I had said stuck out to her and she went through hoops to find my number and send me encouragement. She had no idea how much I needed to hear the words she spoke (well texted) over me. She assured me that God sees the service to my family, to keep going, and that my efforts would never go unnoticed by the Lord. She told me my husband would come to know God through my relationship with Him and I am happy to report that she was completely right. But it just goes to show you that it's in the little things, the encouraging text, the Facetime call, the remembering of names, the service to your community, that truly changes lives.
I want to be more like Leanne in the way of not just talking the talk but truly walking it out. A piece of advice she shared really sticks out to me. She said "Showing is abundantly more powerful than telling. If you want your child to value reading and be a reader, let them see you often reading, or likewise, worshipping or sharing or helping people. Similarly, they are watching the way we communicate with our spouses, our friends, our family...so make it a priority to be living in emotional, physical, mental, spiritual and relational health!"
Basically Leanne is goals. She is momgoals, friendgoals, wifegoals, bossladygoals, all the goals!
Mom Crush Blurb
1.) What's your favorite guilty pleasure TV show?
Survivor. Actually, any show where people compete in anything....project runway, jeopardy, amazing race, great British bake show.
2.)What song gets you going?
Love on Top by Beyoncé. Just when you think she can’t do another key change....
3.) What's does self care look like for you?
Taking photos just for fun, doing a puzzle, getting takeout....or literally just sitting in my bedroom alone with no one asking me questions! Haha.
Question from our last wcw (DeShawne Edwards)
“If you could only choose one food (calories don’t matter) to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be?”
PASTA.
A Word of advice to mamas out there?
Showing is abundantly more powerful than telling. If you want your child to value reading and be a reader, let them see you often reading, or likewise, worshipping or sharing or helping people. Similarly, they are watching the way we communicate with our spouses, our friends, our family...so make it a priority to be living in emotional, physical, mental, spiritual and relational health!