On Always Being There For Our Children.

With the way life has been for our family with relocating to a whole new town, starting new schools in Central Jersey, and the way the world is getting in terms of telling us what's good which is really wrong as well as all the travesties that have been happening in the world (such as Europe, Texas, and Florida), I am extremely grateful for the continued strength that I have in raising the kids I have left at home with true, and honest principles. Having a temple so close to us now where we can attend weekly will give us that extra strength, and help us draw nearer to God as we attend more often. I see in each of our kids a unique light that shines so bright in which i hope others will see. I often remind them that anytime they feel that light going dim to fill it with doing something good. It's so nice to see them contributing small acts of service to one another as well as others. They may not notice it, but I do. I know that their generations can do better than we are today. They all have the potential to move mountains, and to pass on their smile, and love. Having our children growing older is okay with me...sometimes! 

Even though Sierra is on her own we keep in constant contact with each other. We pray for her 24.7. She may be 21, but I am so grateful for the phone calls i continue to get from her. Whether it's about a boy, her job, her education, or texting me a photo of her latest T.J. Maxx find, or calling me from REI asking me which color rainbow sandals she should get this time brings a whole bunch of happy to my days. 

See, thing is I didn't really do anything like this with my mom. I didn't call to lament to her enough about life, how fast my kids are growing, or any of the bad things that were happening at that time of my life, or anything that I needed advice on. Even though I feel as if I don't need my mom now at my age, I really do! And I'm so grateful for the talks we have over the phone, and for the sweet texts that she'll send from time to time (she prefers phone calls!)

One thing I know is that i hope those phone calls from Sierra keep coming. I want her to know that she can call upon me for anything, anytime. I want her to call me when she has an issue with her future kids, and lament to me on how fast they're growing up, and current events that will happen in her lifetime.  I want her to know that even though she's 2100 miles away I will sacrifice my time just to pick up the phone to talk to her.

It's bittersweet that at 21 she is continuing to find her own way, and learning from all the experiences she has faced in the past. And as for the rest of our kids, I want them to know that they can all rely on me, and their pa for anything when their time comes to permanently leave the nest. With school starting soon it's so interesting to see them growing up, and to notice their voices changing, standing up for what they believe in, and watching their personalities becoming fearless and bold. Love that my girls feel like they can talk to me, and ask for advice, and it is my hope that they will also have that special relationship with their future posterity. 

I have faith that they will, and that they can all do better than i did when I was their ages!