The Magic is Already Here

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In the hubbub of the holiday season, let us not forget that life doesn’t have to be lived in grand gestures for our kids to be happy. The magic is already here.

It’s not in the expensive vacations we think they want.

It’s not in the hours spent shopping to create some sort of magic we think piles of presents under the tree could ever possibly create.

It’s not in the rushing and running and over scheduling because we think we must do it all.

It’s not in the questioning we do of ourselves, wondering if we are possibly doing enough to make Christmas special.

Instead, it’s in the smile of the little girl in the freshly fallen snow.

It’s in the way your son leaves his friends to come hold your hand while Christmas caroling.

It’s in a friend texting you because she had a bad day and you text back and say “I understand this. I’m here for you.”

It’s in the giggle of the children as their mom gets on a sled and rides in the snow with them. It’s them seeing her as a kid, for just a minute.

It’s in the homemade fudge made from your husband’s family recipe and it’s in the cookies made all day with a good group of friends.

It’s in the smiles as kids laugh and play and are content with what they have. They see the magic after all.

It’s in the glow of the candles as we look at the baby in the manger.

The magic is here. We don’t need to chase it.

Thanks for Mothering the Divide with me as Christmas approaches. Let us remember that the magic is here. This reminder is as much for me as for you. The magic is here and all we need to do is to open our eyes to it.

This is it

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6-22-16

This is it.

You can’t quite read it, but that’s what it says at the bottom of the sign in this picture.  It says, “Kara and Mike. This is it.”  It is a sign that we placed at the end of the drive of our reception location 14 years ago on our wedding day.  It was to show people where to turn.

I painted it myself in my parents’ backyard and naturally and quickly chose and mixed the purples in the same way I naturally chose to marry the man I did weeks later.  The purples in the sign were simply “it.”  He was “it.”  This was it.  And I just knew.

Years later, the sign found its spot in the backyard of the house we just sold and this photo was taken right before we packed up.  The sign had been taken down and the kids set up a picnic area in front of it.Continue Reading

Eyes as the Camera

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“Mama, I’ll just take the picture in my mind.”

We were at our soon-to-be home tonight and as we moved some things into the garage until closing, my daughter ran and played in the yard.  I yelled to my husband, “do you have your phone?”  I didn’t have mine to take the photo and he didn’t have his readily available and was holding a huge box, so I just stopped, sat on the steps, and watched her play.  My son stopped with me for a little and said that he would just take a photo in his mind.

His words really resonated with me, so I simply stopped what I was doing to watch her play even after he ran off to help his dad.  I paused from the day’s work and just took it all in: her strawberry blonde curls bounced as she ran; her bluest eyes sparkled with delight–my dream come true right there in the front yard with the view of the mountains.  She picked clovers and brought them back to me on the step, laughing and hugging me with pride each time only for her chubby little legs to run down again to the patch of flowery weeds. We played this game until she spotted a tiny, white butterfly and then, I watched her run and chase it. Continue Reading

Simple Memories

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Sometimes, we worry about creating the perfect day and the perfect memory.

We plan elaborate parties, vacations, and sleepovers.  We spend too much money and create too much stress in the pursuit of perfection.

We buy toys and schedule outings and play dates. But really, all our kids need is a pile of sticks and some fresh air.

We shuffle to baseball and dance, here and there and everywhere in pursuit of making our kids happy.  And while those things can be important, our kids also need down time to imagine what can be instead of what is scheduled.  Imagination is born out of boredom. Continue Reading