Summer vacation begins for us on Wednesday. We have big plans for small schedules and fun with our summer jar and each other. I predict a few brain freezes.
Archive for letters to my daughter
The conversation went something like this…
Baby Girl: I’m going downstairs.
Me: Oh no! But then you won’t be with ME!
Baby Girl: Mommy. I’m with you forever. Forever and ever.
Me:
I think I may have gotten out a whispered “me too.” But, I’m not sure. She had already disappeared into our little off-the-entryway “Kid Cave”, with snacks in hand, and the curtain drawn for her own little girl time. Those few words just filled up all my hopes and dreams and goals for our family. To share the power of being “with” one another. No matter where we go, or what we experience, to know that our hearts are knit together. That with each other, there is always a place where we belong.
We’re in single digits on days until school is out, and this morning, we decided we liked it better to say “9 days until we kick off the Summer Jar!” The kids are excited – as most kids are – to be nearing the end of school and schedules and homework and getting up for class. But, I was realizing last night how much I’m excited too. I can’t wait.
I read one time that you teach best what you most need to learn. This week, I’m saying this as much to myself as to my daughter. I’ve been struggling lately with the direction of my business, managing my schedule to allow time to really create, and figuring out how to make some of my ideas take flight. It’s hard work, and it can be discouraging at times. I’ve wondered whether it’s time to just lay aside some of the things I’ve been reaching for — things I know I really want to do. The prospect of “giving up” and leaving things unexplored feels like such a loss and a stretch to my creative energy and hope for the future. As I’ve been praying for clarity and direction, I feel like God has given me little glimpses of encouragement and possibility. The encouragement to keep pressing on. That only good can come from practice, from perseverance, from trying. And trying again. I want that for myself. And I want it for Baby Girl. I always want her to be in touch with her own dreams, and to keep after them. To not let circumstances or discouragement prevent her from what she loves. If she lays something aside, I want it to be a choice made in pursuit of something better — not in settling for a lesser version of her dream.
Don’t quit your day dream!
Today, we’re celebrating a birthday! My oldest turns 13, and I’m really kind of thrown by it. I can’t believe our family not includes a newly minted teenager, especially since every time I look at him, I seem to see this little boy smile.
Still, I’m so very proud of the young man growing up right before my eyes, and I’m so very honored and grateful that God gave me the blessing of being his mother. These years are so fraught with decisions and choices and stretching and learning and letting go and embracing. Growing up is not for the faint of heart. And neither is parenting. I told myself when they were born that I would never wish away any of their stages, no matter how frustrating or challenging. Sometimes I think the biggest lesson in parenting is grabbing hold of that tenuous balance of letting go of the last stage, embracing the next, and holding tight to what matters as we transition between the two. And, the biggest wonderment I continue to find is just how amazing it is to see them come into their own — into their own thoughts, their own interests, their own habits, their own uniqueness. That takes courage. Happy Birthday, sweet boy!
Hello & welcome! I’m Haley Montgomery, and I’m the designer and owner of Small Pond Graphics. I sometimes fancy myself a frog kisser— a documentarian coaxing poignant moments from unexpected places. This blog has evolved from those moments.
The small Pond FIELD GUIDE is part diary, part sketchbook, and part wish list – an archive of ordinary wonders. For years, this space has housed my stories – creative ideas, vintage inspiration, our forays into curious places, and the simple artifacts of quiet of conscious living. Through watercolor, photography, and illustrated tales, these pages uncover the blessing of ordinary days and the wonder found in authentic places and pursuits.
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