I have been MIA in a lot of ways these past couple of weeks. There have been days I would describe as @$^*$% and then there have been days that all the stars, the moon and the sun align. Life. Our life. It continues to impress me.
This post is a whole lotta posts together. The past couple of weeks have included a lot of events that warrant their own little space here but I am a mom. I have six kids, and things do not always work out the way they are supposed to.
Summer has and continues to be amazing but extremely challenging. I have really pushed myself to be with my kids. Good or bad days, be with them. If I really analyze myself I could write that I have failed miserably but if I scroll though the images I have taken my heart swells with pride. The moments far out weight the frustration as a whole. We stepped away from camps and scheduled events to just be together. I question my choice but in my heart I know there is no right answer so forward we go.
We celebrated with my sister and her family the life of their oldest son Brayden. We lost him to SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). It wasn’t easy to say good bye to that precious life but the gifts we have all received from him have changed our lives.
We talk about him. What he has done for us. How much we miss him. How thankful we are that we all had him for a short time. My sister, mom and I went on a long over due girls day (and night) and at the end of it we talked about that day. The day he went to heaven. There were tears and for a moment I felt the pain that I felt that day as I drove to be with my sister and her husband. It is good to talk about loss because although those moments will be etched in our minds for eternity the growth that comes from those moments is so valuable.
These past couple of months I have been walking in circles. Questioning myself on exactly how to move forward on a lot of levels. The feelings of inadequacy were spilling over onto all my ideas and then there was Africa. A place that I knew about but really didn’t know about. Does that make sense? I had no idea the pain and suffering going on there. It was just a place on the map to me. As I learned about feeding children from my friend Diane Grover as she worked with other moms through Coins for Kids. I met the founder of The Mighty Acorn Foundation, Denise DeMarchis who is not only feeding children but giving them the love they so desperately need as well as providing education to give the opportunity to grow so that they teach change in a country that needs a whole lot of change. Most recently a friend Kelle Hampton embarked on a trip with The Noonday Collection to learn about artisans that have been able to better their own lives and the lives of their families by selling their beautiful handmade products. #styleforjustice
She wrote this beautiful post last night and it was titled “I believe I can make good things happen”
“Great things happen when we stop believing that we have to know everything before we make an intention and just start practicing. When we let go of:
I can’t because it’s not possible…
I can’t because I have no experience…
I can’t because it’s an arrogant goal…
I can’t because I don’t know what I’m doing…
I can’t because people will think…
I can’t because it’s never been done before…
I can’t because I don’t have the resources…
I believe I can make good things happen. Period.” – Kelle Hampton
I heard those words loud and clear. I am tired of my excuses. I could give you a 100 reasons why I am a bad mother, a terrible writer, or how absolutely terrible I am at prioritizing things in my life. But at the end of the day they are all excuses.
“I too will make good things happen, I will stop making excuses.” – Katie Driscoll
That feels so good to say.
So a couple things I learned in just 2 weeks.
Just being with family is a must.
Breakfast out at a sweet little place with really good banana bread is a great start to any day.
My camera will take me to places I never thought were possible.
Pizza solves everything. Gluten Free, Squash crust or plain ol Pizza Hut. It solves all bad mama days.
On that note some amazing things are brewing.
JC Penny’s displayed the beautiful real life mannequins featured in the segment that Grace and I were a part of on The Today Show in their Manhattan, NYC store. If you love this as much as I do, click here! and send them note thanking them for standing up for all people in our world! It is as easy as a Facebook message. They are listening. I promise they are listening.
And my friend Kerry Lynch and her daughter Mary Cate were featured on The Today Show in Australia! Their message #choosekind is global!
