Ever since I was in elementary school, I’ve had a fascination with time and the keeping of it. Crediting my grandfather for this love of time—a US veteran turned watchmaker—I grew up loving watches (of course) but also calendars, planners, hourglasses, timers, stopwatches, and anything that allowed me to “see” the passing of time. Fast forward a few decades, and I found myself wanting to freeze time as life became more hectic.
After college, Ray and I’s wedding, and grad school, our lives became busy with our careers and even busier when we started a family. Seventeen years into our marriage, we found ourselves living a version of “happily ever after” that sometimes left us feeling like every day was Groundhog Day. We were living the mundane but not loving it. Our days seemed long, yet we could feel the years with our kids at home getting shorter. Ray was teaching and coaching high school football and could see the need for intentionality outside of our home in the lives of his students and athletes. I was working as a physician assistant and could see the need for encouragement in the lives of my patients. For almost 15 years, our professional and personal lives allowed us to experience many great moments but also helped us realize the fragility of life. We encountered the tragic losses of friends, family, students, athletes, colleagues, patients, and those we cared for and served. Then 2018 hit us.
2018 was a difficult year filled with surprises, loss, grief, and struggles. But God. God reworked us and brought beauty out of our ashes. In His kindness, Ray and I quickly learned to appreciate the value of each day and the moments (good and bad) we get to grow through together. With that shift in perspective, we learned the importance of making time to pause, connect, focus and grow.
In need of a strategy to help us live with more intentionally, Ray and I asked God to show us what truly matters in life. As we continued to grow in His Word and in prayer, God showed us Psalm 90:12. It showed up in our lives in some form or another every day. That psalm has become our family’s daily prayer; “Lord, teach us to number our days and grow a heart of wisdom.”
Our days here on earth are too short to live without purpose, and sometimes our days feel too long to live without encouragement. This is why we named our business Number Our Days and Grow. We hope NOD & Grow inspires you to number each day and grow to see God’s amazing love and faithfulness through all the moments.
—Maryellen Greene, Founder of NOD & Grow
Hi there! We are Ray and Maryellen Greene. After growing up 1,000 miles apart, God brought us together on a mission trip in Mexico right after we both graduated from high school. We decided to go to college together. Then four years later, we got married. We both received degrees in Biblical Studies and Psychology and loved to study Child Psychology and Human Development and Behavior. However, we decided to use our degrees in different ways. Ray went to grad school to become a teacher, eventually teaching K-12 and coaching high school football for over 15 years. Maryellen went to grad school to become a physician assistant and enjoyed working in pediatrics, family medicine, urgent care, and sleep medicine for almost 15 years. We both love to coach youth sports, go on family mission trips, and have a heart for families and their overall health and well-being.
Our three kids are incredible gifts from God, and we count it a huge blessing that we can grow and learn together each day. Our family enjoys playing golf, soccer, biking, hiking, taking trips to the beach and the mountains, and going on walks with our poodle named Beamer.
We believe in supporting other faith-based organizations by donating a portion of our proceeds to the following ministries: One More Child, Joni and Friends, Blue Skies Ministries, and Take Heart Africa. By purchasing from NOD & Grow, you help these outreaches serve vulnerable children, widows, and families facing illnesses and special needs. Visit our FAQs to learn more about each organization and our donation efforts.
Here at NOD & Grow we value…
