Dear Friday

Here you are....

boasting of sunshine and spring weather that will surely pass quickly by returning us to weekend chill.

You bring with you anticipation and dancing dreams of sleeping in. Of relaxation. Of rest.

And yet, looking forward beyond your horizon to soccer games. tball practices. birthday parties.

I know that {in all reality} you lead us into the busiest and most hectic hours of our week.

Yet I long for the days that you usher in with you.

Days when we are together, enjoying life. bracing the weather.

When fun and family rule the hours and sleep and cuddles abound as effortlessly as the laundry.

And so, while your dancing sugarplum fairies are nothing more than illusions on the horizon...I'm okay with that.

Our reality is pretty good, too.

Thank you Friday. Welcome.

Linking up with Traded Dreams today for the Open Letter Campaign

Gluten, You Great Deceiver.

Dear Gluten.

You with your tender pastries and your soft bread.

With your warm, buttery croissants that call to me from the bakery shelf only to melt in my mouth.

With your moist and delicious cupcakes packed with creamy filling.

You have hidden behind a veil of secrecy and covered the truth with delicate pastries and desserts and warm fresh breads for far too long.


I would have never discovered your deception had I not begun looking for a cure to chronic headaches.

I never would have become wise to your ploys and your influence.

I would have continued living in my wheat-filled, headache stuper, none the wiser..

But, alas, the veil has been torn down and the truth has set me free.

Don't get me wrong, I know you aren't necessarily bad for everyone. I know that you, when eaten well, are in fact a perfectly healthy part of a diet....

But I didn't know how common it was to be gluten-sensitive.

I didn't know that-- thanks to the way you make our lives so easy-- I was funneling more processed and less real food into my family's mouths.

I didn't know that I had alternatives like almond flour and coconut flour.

I had no idea that quinoa and amaranth were sufficient replacements as whole grains.

I didn't know that Real Food was the answer.

Okay, so maybe that is my own fault, but I was deceived, I tell ya!

Really, Dearest Gluten, I should Thank You.

It's because of you that I first began researching all your lying friends, like high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners.

It's because of you, I started asking myself if there were alternatives to foods covered in toxic pesticides and injected with man-made antibiotics and horomones.

It's because of you that I committed myself to doing the very best for my family.

It's because of you that I have more energy and fewer headaches and wake up without feeling like I'm in a fog.

It's because of you that my family has traded the ultra-processed, packaged fare for the real thing.

It's all because of you.

So thank you, you lying, cheating, Siren of Baked Goods.

Thank you.

Today I am linking up over at The Open Letter Campaign!
Go check it out and join in the fun!

Letters to My Child & The Open Letter Campaign

Today I am linking up with The Open Letter Campaign.

Check it out to read more open letters!

Dearest Child of Mine,

When I think about our journey to bringing you home, it stands in such strange contrast to your brother's that I am often left speechless.

With Marvel, so much of our journey was about waiting. About patience. About trusting God to bring His promises to light.

And then, with you...it's been such a whirlwind that I too-easily get caught off-guard by every next step.

I mean, don't get me wrong...God still has many lessons to teach me. Still about trusting Him and Still about being faithful in the Pursuit...but also about Faith. And about Miracles. And about Surprises.

So many times in our lives we become such experts at execution that we can forget who is *really* taking care of it all.

We execute {perfectly} the morning routines...

We execute {perfectly} our tasks throughout the day...

We execute {perfectly} the evening and bedtime routines. ..

And we find comfort in the *knowing* of what to expect.

But my God? Is a God of beautiful surprises.

And that is exactly what you were.

From the moment we laid eyes on you.

From that first inkling that God was about to ask us to do what we never imagined we'd do.

From the first time I fell asleep dreaming of the way you perfectly fit in my arms.

You were God's beautiful surprise.

So, while I may still try to pretend I have it all figured out and while I might still attempt to execute perfectly...

I will always remember that God began this whole new thing....with a beautiful surprise.

You, my sweet one... are God's wonderful* exciting* joyful* exhuberant* Beautiful* Surprise.

Longing to bring you home,

Mommy.