There’s a family in America this year doing something SO cool. They are making and recycling their Christmas presents and foregoing all the holiday spending, instead sending all the money to a small African village. What the husband is doing for his wife is really incredible. He is compiling letters from mothers to other mothers, offering wisdom, humor, advice, stories, or whatever that mom wants to share with her. In return, all the mothers who send in letters will get a compilation of all of them sent back. Very nifty idea. Read more about it here, and read Nicole’s awesome letter here.
I thought I would share mine with you. I encourage all you moms out there to send one it. It’s not too late, and it will add depth to their very selfless Christmas.
Dear Mother,
I am a stay-at-home mom to an eight month old with dreams to have more, adopt some and maybe even one day become a foster parent. One thing I have learned in the short time that I have been a parent is that my kids will always be better off when my marriage is flourishing. We don’t have money to go on dates really, so we make certain parts of the day our special times. We always make time before we go to sleep to pray together, too. I have found that to be one of the single most marriage-improving things that we have ever done. We also keep a notebook that we write letters to each other in. We began it when we were engaged, and a few months ago we decided to start it up again. Love letters are a beautiful way to share your deepest feelings for one another, and reading over older entries reminds us of all the wonderful reasons we fell in love in the first place.
Motherhood is the most challenging, rewarding, amazing, life-changing, love-filled, incredible gift that God gives us. Enjoy every single moment. The good, the bad, the beautiful, the ugly, the inspiring, the not-so-glamorous moments. Soak in every last one of them, because once they are gone, you never get them back. And thank God through it all.
My baby girl has rocked my world, changed my life and transformed me from the inside out. Being a mom is the greatest blessing, and being a great wife and mother is what I truly strive for. I think that if I can get that down, everything else will fall into place. I pray that your babies bring you every bit of joy possible, and that they know that you love them more than life itself.
Merry Christmas.
This is an awesome project – Christmas has turned into something completely stressful for some people because they are so focused on the wrong things. I wish I would have read Nicole’s blog sooner – we didn’t spend much as a family this Christmas, but I would have been thrilled to participate in this program.
I’m sure God will bless your family in many ways in 2009! Take care and keep enjoying your sweet baby girl!