Letters From My Heart

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Last night I was thinking about things I needed to get done. Mostly Christmas related, gifts I needed to still make, plotting and planning type stuff.

I started thinking about gifts for the kids, making mental notes of what I needed to still do for them. I then had an idea I had never honestly thought of before, writing them each a letter.

It could be a letter about what the past year had been like. Or it could be about our relationship as mother and son/daughter. Or it could be advice that I want to give them now but they are too young to hear. Or it could simply be a letter to let them know they are loved.

A letter they can read when they are older, something put away for a time when they can understand what I'm trying to convey. Something tangible, that they can hold in their hands and see with their eyes.

So much of our days consist of the mundane, the regular, the rituals. It's hard to take the time needed to really look at the bigger picture of parenting when you are knee deep in the middle of laundry, spilled food, fighting and dishes.

My hope is that by taking the time to write these letters to my children, I will be allowed the opportunity to relay things to them in a way that will make a lasting impression. Not that my spoken words and actions aren't important, but honestly we as parents and they as children forget sometimes.

This will be a way to write about the blessings and the lessons that God has taught me as a mother. A way to tell them about how I see God working and growing them. A way to reflect on these things as I write them, and a way for them to see things through my eyes when they read them. A way to leave a part of myself now in the present that they can read in the future.

I would love those of you that are mothers to consider doing this. No matter what age they may be, whether they are unborn or 35 years old. Children are such a blessing to us, they are our legacy. What a way to honor their importance, to let them know of their worth to both us and their heavenly Father.

If you feel that you'd like to participate in "Letters From My Heart" this Christmastime, please post a comment indicating you'll be doing so. Or, if you already do this please post a comment to renew your commitment to continue.

To those of you'd who would like to spread the word to others, please feel free to mention this on your blogs as long as you link back to this original post. It would be wonderful to get as many mothers as possible to commit to doing this for their children. What an opportunity to give an amazing gift to our children that won't cost anything but time.

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