Made on PURPOSE, for a PURPOSE

A behind-the-scenes reflection on this month's Making With Meaning word: Purpose

When I chose PURPOSE as this month's word, I thought I was just making a pitcher. What I didn't expect was that building each layer would hold up a mirror to my own life—and make me ask some pretty honest questions about how I'm actually living.

Right around the same time, I went in for my annual physical. The results weren't great—high triglycerides, hypothyroid, pre-diabetic, and one arthritic finger that will never fully bend again. (Of course it had to be the wrong finger on my right hand. I'll let you figure out which one.)

Combined with going through thirty years of old journals, it made me stop and ask honestly—have I been living in a way that reflects why I'm here? Am I caring for what I've been given? That question shaped everything about this piece.

I'm a doer by nature. For me, living in purpose feels like peace in the doing — even when it's hard. It's moving forward when you don't want to because you know it's right. And sometimes it shows up in the simplest places. I greet people at church on Sunday mornings, and honestly? I love it so much I always say — I hope that's the job God gives me in heaven." That's the purpose." Small, joyful, exactly right.

I believe we each carry a grand purpose — to love the people right in front of us, to share faith and hope, and to leave something meaningful behind. But purpose also lives in the smaller commitments — a health goal, a caregiving season, learning something new. And here's what I find beautiful: the layers are exactly the same. The path looks the same. The obstacles are just different.

For this vessel, I pressed texture from a conifer seed into the base — brought to me by my dear friend Anja from a special garden near a tomb in Jerusalem. Before we can build anything meaningful, we need a foundation that doesn't move. For me, that will always be my faith.

The layers of purpose — explored fully in the Making With Meaning video series — look like this:

The Foundation — what you stand on when everything else shifts

Planting — faithful beginnings before you see any results

The Desert Season — the hard stretch you have to choose to walk through

Finding Rhythm — when purpose starts to feel ordered and clear

Pouring Out — freedom, lightness, living your purpose toward others

Here's my biggest takeaway: purpose isn't a destination. It's a living cycle. These layers aren't a checklist — you'll plant seeds more than once, walk through desert seasons more than once. And every time you come through, you'll be a little stronger, a little more able to find your rhythm on the other side. The foundation is what makes all of it possible. That's where you return.

You were not an accident. Every layer of your life, every desert season, every moment of waiting — it all has meaning.

You were made on purpose, for a purpose. 
Love & Blessings, 
Tammy Jo

WATCH PART 1 & PART 2 OF Making With Meaning:
Purpose series on YouTube at HobbyPotter,

and part II