Pressing pause when others are fast forwarding: With her faith in God, Jiamin keeps showing up

“Live in the layers, not in the litter. Though I lack the art to decipher it, no doubt the next chapter in my book of transformations is already written. I am not done with my changes” – The Layers, Stanley Kunitz

Pure honesty – not just her words during the podcast; her life – My next guest and new mother of eight-month-old twin girls, Jiamin, lives with raw honesty with herself. Each time she felt compelled, she pursued relentlessly with no grand plans, which is counter-intuitive to her nature. Jiamin’s changing story is a testimony of her faith in God. While living in ambiguity, she trusts that her ‘book of transformation is already written’. 

The First Pause: A quarter-life reflection at 25, Jiamin found herself at a crossroads, questioning her career in engineering. Feeling the weight of societal expectations, she courageously took a six-month pause to explore her next chapter. This period of introspection led her to Sydney, Australia, where she rediscovered herself starting with a book, "What's the Colour of Your Parachute?" by Richard Nelson Bolles, endless questioning and the support of friends. 

With her daughters in 25 years, Jiamin will share the same wisdom she acquired on pauses: 

“Don't take too long. It's okay to take the pause to think about being intentional in the way that you want to use and spend your time… So just don't keep using this as a time to waste away and not do what you set out to do.”

This pause ultimately guided her towards a fulfilling decade-long career in communications.

The Second Pause: For Jiamin and many others, motherhood perhaps started even before her twins were born. No doubt in this season, she wants to enjoy – from getting her desire to start a family, stewarding it well to being present to the everyday changes with her newfound loves. To her, it’s a “scary pause” with no end game in mind, as well as fears of losing professional relevance. “What if I don't know AI? What if I don't know how to write prompts? Or what if the world has changed so much that my skills are irrelevant?”

This pause is not just about stepping back from work but embracing the full spectrum of motherhood's demands and rewards. In her current “trenches”, she finds solace in her faith and the support of her husband and extended family. 

“My faith in Jesus anchors me. It's about knowing that I'm not doing all of this alone. At home, there are a million micro-moments that sometimes can make one feel really unseen… But that's why my faith anchors me because I know that I'm not doing this on my own.”

Photo by Jiamin

Her Evolving Epilogue: It was about owning her legacy – now, her newly minted mission sounds like a simpler one: Show up and be present, especially when it is hard. 

“Showing up to my family, the work of caregiving, household management. It's even more critical to show up when I'm absolutely knackered and there's nothing much left.”

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Thank you, Jiamin, for co-creating Semicolon Spaces podcast with me – Blessed to brainstorm this venture with her. We pray for her journey ahead to be filled with joy, gratitude and wonderful memories with her children and family. We pray for her children to grow up healthy, strong and happy. We continue to trust that God is the author of our books and stories. In Jesus Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.