Just to warn you, I’m fluctuating from reflective to rapturous here today as I share my special days and giveaways! My little guy (who is 5 foot 10) turned 16 last week. Sixteen years old. How can this be? He now has his “L” for goodness sakes and sits behind the wheel of a real vehicle. What happened to that bright yellow and red Little Tykes car he used to shuffle around driving with his pudgy feet? Is it really THAT long ago since I snuggled my infant close and lived in that crazy-baby-toddler-homeschooling-survivor mode? Admittedly, there are chunks from the cray cray years where I have zero recollection. None. But I do remember they were special days, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything.
If I could chat with my (brunette) sixteen-year-younger self, I would tell her to chill. Don’t sweat the small stuff—enjoy every God-given day. I would shake her shoulders and assure her she would come out the other side of child-rearing relatively sane. I would tell her not to worry—her kids will be amazing, more so than she could possibly imagine.
She wouldn’t believe me, but I’d tell her that she was going to be an author one day. For real. I would whisper that she has the best husband in the world, and that their marriage would flourish and grow and be beautiful. She would even write a book about marriage one day—fancy that!
I would encourage her to love Jesus every single day, stay fit and healthy, to dream big and cheer her kids on, to support her husband and love him well. And I would tell her to enjoy the special days, even the ordinary ones, even the really hard ones—there will be many, many more special days to come, but live in the moment with your little ones, dear heart. Because they won’t stay little for long. In the blink of an eye, your girl will live in Montreal and get married, your middle will dream of being a pastor and start Uni, and your little will turn sixteen:
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” Ecclesiastes 3:1
Welcome to my emotional roller coaster, which includes a time to reminisce and a time to enjoy here and now. When you’re in the midst of diapers and schedules and snacks and minivans, you barely have time to go to the bathroom, let alone appreciate with a heart full of gratitude the wondrous experience of motherhood. But you will later on, I promise. You will look back, possibly with the aid of photos if you’re as foggy as me, and you will love those special days.
How about right now? Summer is a wonderful opportunity to create special days, don’t you think? Schedules are up the swanny, food is simpler, the sun’s a-shining, and people actually WANT to get together. Did someone say BBQ? Hang out at the beach? Go for a picnic? Ice-cream anyone? There IS a time for everything, and there IS a time to create special days and meaningful memories.
Which brings me (oh-so-smoothly) to something else that’s rather special…
“Laura’s Letters”
Yes, finally, after much procrastinating and excuse-making, I am launching a quarterly newsletter! Quarterly, so you won’t get spammed and also so I only have to do four per year! 🙂 And why, oh why should you subscribe to said newsletter?
Let me tell you…
- The giveaways. Oh my word- the first one is a doosie. A darling pair of Ben Moss pearl earrings along with a copy of my book Pearls for the Bride! *squeal*
- The recipes. I would never steer you wrong when to comes to chocolate, my friends, and I’ll have a mouthwatering recipe you will HAVE to try.
- The bookshelf. I’ve put together my top picks with mini-reviews so you can get your summer reading list together.
- The update. Want to know what I’m up to in my writing world? Let’s chat.
*Only subscribers to Laura’s Letters will be (automatically) entered into the giveaway!* It’s true! I hope you’ll join me soon, because the newsletter goes out AUGUST 1, and I’d hate for you to miss the first one. Just go HERE and fill in the SUSCRIBE box. Easy peasy.
Special days, summer haze, and giveaways! Thanks for bearing with me on my roller coaster of emotions…
Until next time,
Linking up with some fabulous encouragers. Check them out:
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