Experiences > material things

The holidays are right around the corner. Which means the gift giving season is upon us and it has me thinking back on past holidays of what was given and loved and this is the conclusion I came to. Experiences are hands down better than material things.

Memories like these are never forgotten. Time spent together as a family is something I will never be able to get enough of. I was fortunate to have been both born into and married into incredible families. Most aren't as lucky as I am. Which is more reason to embrace experiences and make memories. Board and Brush was one of those things I will forever cherish. It was a gift given to us by Grandma Linda and I will always be thankful for. This was over two years ago and I still remember it so fondly.

In this case, her gift gave us both and experience and a material item. We all made our own sign or crate whatever it was we choose and was able to bring it home. I still have my sign to this day and I imagine I will keep it for many years to come. You will forever be my always. I love this sign and I love the fact I was able to create it with my husband family.

This is what I want to give people, memories like these. Things to encourage others to get out of their house, doing something other than work and sleep. Things like concerts, dinner, zoo, magic house, ax throwing, bowling, a weekend down at the river together. The list is endless. This is what I believe we will remember. This is what I want for my boys, happy memories of fun things we did as a family.

But this year will be different for us. It will be a hard holiday season because we lost Dwayne these past few months and nothing will be the same. There is such a huge void in my heart and the boys miss their papa deeply. I can't imagine what it's like for his kids and Julie, his wife. It won't be the same but Dwayne would want us to make happy memories. His loss shows us, reminds us that nothing is promised. That each day is a blessing and never to take anything for granite.

That means this holiday season I want to give experiences so we can spend time together, doing stuff we will remember and cherish.

Comments

Tough Days are Still Beautiful

Today was off to a rough start but as I’m sitting on my couch typing this I am watching my son finally smile and laugh at me. We’ve had a hard last couple of days, not sleeping, lots and lots of fussing, constantly needing to be held. Not sure if it’s a growth spurt, teething or a upset tummy but whatever it is I wish I could take it away. The worst feeling is not being able to do anything for him. Then there are moments like this, when we have no sleep we’re drained and exhausted, but Jeremiah just sits there smiling at me. It makes me forget about that last 48 hours and appreciate everything I have. I love him, I love my life, everything we have. I am so blessed. He is growing so fast, no longer my little new born. I can’t believe he’s going to be six months in just a few short weeks. I would have sworn he’s said daddy and dada a couple times this week. It feels like Jeremiah has been around my whole life, I can’t think of what life was like before him but on the other han...

You are not alone

There's been an unknown heaviness on my heart these past couple days I've struggled with and all it took was a simple kind gesture of a friend to gift me a beautiful cookie as a reminder of the baby I lost in pregnancy, not once but twice. It struck me in that moment just what I've been struggling with all week. I'm not even sure my friend knew exactly what this would have meant to me, that the timing of her gift would hit me so hard, but I spent the next 30 minutes bawling alone in my car. I'm sitting here this morning sharing this cookie with my boys, remembering the babies I've lost, thinking of the newborn I would be holding in my arms this very moment if God had planned it otherwise. I think it's particularly hard this week because exactly a year ago today I sat by this same old fireplace on a Monday morning watching my two year old and three year old run around playing and screaming, asking myself if this was really possible, could I be pregnant agai...

Crisp Autumn Leaves

Autumn is my favorite season. The chill in the air, the crunch of leaves, the vibrant change in colors. Today there was running, smiling and laughing. Jumping, falling and getting back up. This is what we all needed. My little sister, who's my closest friend, joined me and the boys on the spur of the moment park day and it was a blast. We went to Rock Springs to enjoy what Jeremiah calls, the tall green park! It’s one of my favorite places to be, it’s quiet there and peaceful which is what we need in life right now. This was the first time that I actually went to the playground itself, usually I’d walk the path through the woods. It’s also my mom's favorite walking place, no surprise there, I am my mothers daughter. But so the three of them ran around on the playground and yes I said three of them. Josiah, my youngest, insisted Rachel go up with him to help get to the third level. That little boy has everyone wrapped around his little finger and knows how to get what h...

Endless Adventures

Search This Blog