2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
Throughout these pages we praise you as we step out in confidence to walk alongside others near us. We praise you because you are worthy, holy, righteous and just. We trust you through this process by seeking your will to reach others. Help us to draw closer to you and those around me as I offer vulnerability and transparency. I trust you with this calling.
I pray for the mamas flipping through every page and come to you to ask that you pour your love into them during these moments. I ask that you be with us in every season. Thank you for continually pursuing us and offering grace. We welcome your comfort, love, peace and faithfulness.
For those reading without a relationship with you, Jesus, I ask that you meet them within these moments to accept you as their Savior and receive all that you have to offer them.
Thank you for trusting me in this space. For your glory, Amen.
Welcome back and thank you for sneaking away from your day to share this space with me during the month of June!
You made it through the mayhem madness of May, yay! Most of us are officially done with the school year and are in full swing of summer activities and adventures. Whether your kiddos are older and needing rides to their activities or your tiny humans are younger and asking for another snack, it is crazy how jam packed our summer calendars can get when we aren’t paying attention
Summer breaks can give us the opportunity to create special memories with our kids and as a family but can also provide a much needed space for rest and reflection as we prepare for fall. It is hard to balance both when we forget to have routine and be intentional with our time Whether you ’ re passing out popsicles at home or scheduling adventures with friends, your summer is going to be one for the books- claim it!
For June, it was hard to narrow down what I wanted to share because it is so much! I prayerfully considered each page in hopes of making you feel connected and encouraged In this issue you will find some examples of fun summer activities, Father’s Day perspective and a little bit of summer break encouragement.
I have also been working out the details of opening a prayer community for local mamas Subscribe– stay tuned for updates
I pray you know how much you are cherished and adored by our Heavenly Father.
WHOOHOO! SUMMER BREAK!
Okay, but did you feel my excitement? Let me say it again so you really hear me WHOOOOHOOOO!
YEAH, SUMMER BREAAAAK!!
There are pretty much only two options to feel about summer break and you either match my reaction or you immediately contemplated closing this issue to take a nap on the couch. I get it, mama. All of us made it through the school year with our kiddos. We survived car lines and spirit week. We attended concerts and poem recitals. We smiled through parent teacher conferences and celebrated graduations. Anyone else tired just from reading that? And now we made it to summer break!
As a former teacher, I still LIVE for summer break for two reasons.
For one, summer break provides just that: a BREAK.
This can look like whatever you need for that season. I've used this time to hunker down at home to create space for rest
Need something different from your average 9-5?
Yeah well, this is the time. Sleep in a little, nap when it’s time and there ain’t no mama in my circle that’s questioned my decision to enforce an earlier bedtime.
Using this break can welcome recovery and healing.
These tiny humans have just pushed themselves to the max with learning and growing; add in extra curricular activities and I bet you came out the other side of this school year a different kind of mama, too!
When I take the time to step back to see what my kids need, they tell me.
Not every summer needs to come with a calendar full of invites Turn off the alarm clocks, cultivate time in your day for quiet time and skip the chaos of waterparks.
The second, summer break makes room for FREEDOM.
I am all for consistency and schedules but summer means we get to skip the car lines, tuck the backpacks away and give those lunch boxes a rest. We get to trade uniform polos for swimsuits and the rush to beat traffic to having poolside popsicles for breakfast.
During these summers we ’ ve said “No ” This simple word is a complete sentence We use it more often so we can eliminate the chaos of busyness Saying no can sometimes feel like we are missing out on the next best thing but I’ve found it actually creates more opportunities
Drop the expectations of what this summer should look like and let loose.
Using this freedom can create space for curiosity.
I’ve used this time to allow my kids to lead with their strengths, try some things on their bucket lists and explore who they are becoming and want to be I’ve taken a step back to watch what they are truly telling me, trust me they always do
I have a feeling this summer is going to be a little mixture of both for our family With
When we launched Maricopa Motherhood Magazine, I shared in an article the loneliness I was experiencing and deep need for a community of friendships Part of the reason I was feeling so lonely was because a few of my closest and best friends had moved and in some of my other friendships our life seasons had given us less opportunities to connect. That loneliness lead to wrestling with discontentment and then comparison
I started to wish away my season
“God, we aren’t meant to be here so should we just move?”
“God, if I just had what so-and-so has, I know I won’t feel this way. ”
“God, if you just bless me like that then I will be more equipped to do your work ”
“God, so I was just thinking maybe my plan is better than yours ”
When I was interviewing a friend for my podcast she shared how she read “The Power of Place: Choosing Stability in a Rootless Age” by Daniel Grothe and it had a deep impact on her perspective You know I cannot pass up a book recommendation so obviously it was delivered in two days
In the front cover I read, “In these times, we often think we have to find a fresh place to build a meaningful life ” Yes, I thought, That is exactly what I need, just a fresh place I devoured the pages and dug into my bible as I leaned into what God was telling me.
I had shown up to Maricopa, ready to love this place and make my mark on the community After some rejection and one too many lessons learned the hard way, I was just ready to leave and start fresh All of our dates were happening “in town ” We were driving 45 minutes 2-3 times a week to be at our “home church ” I had let everyone convince me that they were right: the 347 highway is the worst, the restaurants are disappointing and the people here are amazing. Some are amazing deep in their hearts and others are just amazing at how they are able to complain about any and everything.
“Sometimes the most significant thing you can do is stay in a place– stay for the long haul, stay and give your life away for the good of these people in this place ”
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither- whatever they do prospers Psalm 1:3
God, What?! No! I’m not supposed to stay here in Maricopa, Arizona. This was just a pivot place for our family! We were just going to stay for 3-5 years and then on to where we are truly meant to be. We don’t even go to church here, how is this the place I’m supposed to be?
Over and over throughout these pages, Grothe paired scripture, perspective and experience to help me wrestle with my current season As someone who has packed up to “start fresh” on more than one occasion, choosing to stay in this place felt impossible At one point I turned to my husband and shared, “God’s telling me we need to be open to staying in Maricopa and we need to start serving right here.” I *thought* he would fall right off of his chair in surprise but with a simple head nod, he agreed.
I started serving in a bigger capacity with MOPs Maricopa and my husband began serving in another organization our family was participating in
My favorite chapter was seven: Honoring Your Presence: Everywhere You Are Is Sacred The name of the chapter says more than I could ever write. So I’ll share some of my highlights.
“Spend the afternoon. You can’t take it with you. ” - Annie Dillard
“Sometimes you can’t know what you ’ re made to do until you can’t find what you ’ re looking for anywhere else ”
“Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads ”thoreau
“To be like Christ Jesus we have to run into, not away from, the small and insignificant places like Nazareth and Roanoke and Reno ”
“And if you will be there, living with holy wakefulness in a world that is “constantly being created” by the Spirit, paying attention to the invisible mysteries, and looking for the hidden beauty, your little section of the world will be saved!”
This activity is so fun for littles! Remember to buy the gloves! The gloves make it possible for the bubbles to bounce because it protects the bubbles from the oils on our hands that break the bubbles
Materials:
4 T. Water
2 T. Sugar
1 T Dawn Dish Soap
Soft Winter Gloves
Bubble Wands
Directions:
Mix water, sugar and dish soap together and stir until the sugar dissolves. Have fun blowing bubbles. To make the bubbles bounce you need to wear soft gloves. Blow the bubbles gently letting them softly bounce off of your hand
I am grateful for this summer.
I love with this time with my kids.
God has significant purpose for this time with my kids. god chose me for this season.
God have given me this summer.
I am beloved.
I am grateful for my children who call me mom.
God knows my needs for this summer.
Find a quiet moment. Pick up your phone and find your photos. Choose the "months option." Pick your favorite moment from each month over the last school year and share it here.
VACATION
SKILLS
FRIENDS
REST
Your calendar doesn't have to be a packed schedule. Pick a few activities to prioritize over the summer months. 01 02 03 04
It is a blessing you carved out space in your day to spend time with me in these pages I pray you are able to enjoy big and small moments of this summer within the break and freedom it provides
This issue was late, please forgive me for delay in release of this issue. I thought it would creep in and I could slowly welcome it but I learned my lesson and will welcome it full force next year! Sidenote: next month might be a little late as well. I appreciate your patience and all of the messages inquiring updates
In the meantime, if you are looking forward to connecting with other mamas please join our MOPS Group for some play date opportunities
Words cannot express how much you mean to me.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
Psalm 1:3
