Day 6

December 6

Write "10 things I love about you" letters to each family member then seal them up to be read on New Year's Eve.

I love this one. Post-holiday, overcast, winter dreary has always been a drain for me. Over the years, I have noticed post-production blues in my children too. After all the people, presents, and parties come to an end and with distractions gone, the sleepless, sugar-induced toll becomes obvious. I am looking forward to the last day of the year, where we pull these out and take a quiet minute to remember how incredibly blessed we are to have the gift of family. Not perfect or perfectly articulate, but whole and healthy. It is a gift, more than anything tangible we will recieve this month, to have eachother. Today I want my four amazing kids to see that, to slow down and be fully present in thinking about why their siblings and parents are meaningful to them. On New Years Eve, I want them to read what the rest of us have written and see their value. I won't share it all with you, expecially because I am not allowed to read the ones addressed to me, but here is a taste.

Levi to Dad, "I love how all his jokes make sense."

Hannah to Shiloh "She encourages me in my triles."

Shiloh to Selah "I love Selah because she loves to dance."

Selah to Hannah "She is kind because she breaks problems."

That, my friends, is good food for any Mamas soul.