{Kelle Hampton} this is it

Remember how I told you that over the next month, I’d be hosting fabulous guest bloggers in support of our fundraiser for Baby Cliff?

A natural choice was Kelle Hampton.  Otherwise known as Lainey and Nella’s mama. But she had already guest posted for me once before, so I kinda thought it was a long shot.

Lucky for me (and you!) Kelle agreed to add yet another thing to her already overflowing plate, and string words together in the beautiful way that she does for us.

Thank you Kelle for supporting Cliffy and for opening our eyes to the beauty of the small things.

Enjoy the scrumptiousness!

* * * *

A Guest Post for the week of Thanksgiving is a bit of a daunting assignment as surely, if there’s one time to dig deep, to dredge out the good emotional bits, to pull out the best of the best, it’s now. This time of year always calls from not only the crafty homemaking parts of me but from the emotional chords of my being as well. I want to be moved. I want to experience “this is it” moments that challenge me to dissect the meaning of life even more.

I had my “this is it” moment thing this year, followed by a great many more. And though it feels at times like the planet cracked on January 22 and my former self was small and inexperienced and a bit off track from what life is really about, I am realizing more that, while I have changed in good and needful ways, I am very much the same as well.

Welcoming Nella in our lives and dealing with the emotions of accepting an exceptional child certainly propelled some philosophical discussions in my mind this year and heightened my awareness of the things in life that are truly important, but I’m still the same person.

I remember in the hospital, two days into our new journey, I looked down to notice my friend had a fabulous new pair of boots. “I’ll never care about cute boots again,” I thought, as if having a child with special needs somehow created higher expectations for me. Yes, having your mama emotions stripped to the bone and being faced with health issues and frightening diagnoses does challenge you to shuffle your priorities quite a bit. “New wood floors” lost its standing on the importance list long ago. But, I didn’t throw it all away. I still like cute boots and lipstick and succumb to the temptation to buy a fashion magazines or two at the check-out if I’m really bored.

And what I’m really trying to say here is that this Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for all of it. For life-changing moments and a deeper sense of love and gratitude because of them but for the mundane and silly little pleasures we still enjoy as well. Good coffee and the perfect shade of lipstick, trips to the dollar store to watch my kid excitedly scour out cheap toys that will later clutter my living room floor, dreaming out loud with my man about vacations we’d love to invest in someday but presently can’t afford, and knowing that it all combines for one big “this is it.” This is it…this is life, right here, with its bigness and its smallness and its possibility for being more than I am right now.

It doesn’t take the planet cracking to experience moments of “this is it.” But the more we create them among the thick of the everyday, when the planet does crack—and it will—we will be better equipped to deal with it.

*On a personal note, Jeannett’s mission to raise money for Baby Cliff and Reece’s Rainbow is very near and dear to my heart. I discovered Reece’s Rainbow shortly after Nella was born. I actually took an emotional hit the first time I read through each of the baby’s profiles, picturing my girl as every one of them and wondering how much more of a challenge it would be if we lived in a place where differently abled children aren’t as accepted as they are in our country. I passionately support the efforts of Reece’s Rainbow and am so happy Jeannett has chosen to make Baby Cliff the recipient of her holiday fundraising efforts. Every dollar counts!

Please consider learning more about Baby Cliff’s fundraiser by clicking the button below and donating through the chipin widget.

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jeannett

I'm a mom to four. A wife to one. I believe in story. I love telling you about mine and would love to hear yours. There's really no sense in wasting our suffering and not sharing in each other's joy. We're all in this together...even if it doesn't always feel like it.

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