First, I want to say thank you that you even clicked on this post. It tells me that you're invested in what we are about and that's really cool!
Let's rewind to August 2020, we were under contract with another business and days away from signing on the dotted line when both of looked at each other and didn't have peace to move forward. We were on the brink of fulfilling a dream of working together, serving our community, and going back to our roots in hospitality. We walked away from the deal and our dream was placed on pause.
90 days later I was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. Our lives were rocked!
It was a long 9 months of treatment between chemo, surgery, and radiation - and the results - cancer free!!! I'll share that story on another day.
Then what? Do you pick up where you left off - not giving up on something that you know you were placed on this earth to do? Yep, that's exactly what we did. Sounds crazy, right?!? I was still going through radiation when we signed the lease at 506 Main Street. There was an excitement, a renewed hope. Scared a bit too but, we leaped in.
I write this 2 years after signing the lease. What has transpired over time has been a whirlwind of beautiful life. Whenever anyone asks what's been the best thing about Mangos? Hands down, the community. Those of you who have come in our little place to share beers with, served food and stories, y'alls unexpected liking to mango tea, and let's not forget the growing polaroid wall of all of your beautiful faces. The community of Dunedin is like no where else!
This dream hasn't been an easy process. There were moments we both looked at one another through frustration and sleepy eyes and said "what were we thinking?" The time and toll that it has taken on our family, long stretches with no days off, yet we wouldn't change it, we learned how to grow through the adversity and make the changes necessary to "keep on, keepin' on."
A few days ago I looked back at my prayers that I had journaled several years before all of this, when that little dream was written down in a few short sentences and to where we are now, it's pretty amazing. There's a reason why we have the verse Ephesians 3:20 on the bottom of our website "And to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than we can ever ask or imagine..." yes it is! immeasurably more than we could have ever imagined!
Thanks for reading my heart! Love, Nina
