Celebrations, Asking For Help, and Pop Tarts!
Lighthouse meets every other Wednesday evening from 8:30-9:30 pm (CST). If you haven’t joined us before, we invite you to come and sit awhile with this beautiful group of parents. As a community, we gather to celebrate the highs and support each other through the challenges. This is a conversation with other parents who understand what you are experiencing. Grab your favorite beverage join us. This is a program for parents with students attending Islands of Brilliance programming. Register here.
Summer is in full swing and we sure felt the heat last weekend here in Milwaukee! Last night we talked about quite a few different topics…from celebrations to Pop Tarts.
A Quarter-Century Celebration!
Yesterday was Charlie Faibanks’ 25th birthday! Which means it was also the 25th anniversary of Mark and Margaret becoming parents! As we look at the milestones of our childrens’ lives, we are excited to celebrate their accomplishments. But last night, Margaret shared her beautiful thoughts of this milestone through the lens of celebrating her journey as well. One parent shared that a friend of hers celebrates both her child’s birthday and her “birthing day.”
While we certainly do not want to upstage or steal the spotlight from our children, it is important and wonderful to make sure we also celebrate the role that you played in your child’s journey to that point in time. Every hug, kiss, word of encouragement, tuck into bed, story read, story listened to, doctor’s appointment, bump and scrape bandaged, argument, challenge, tear wiped away, tear shed, meal cooked, drop-off and pick-up, parent-teacher conference, worry, celebration, hope, prayer…every action taken both big and smallest of small…each one has been a gift to your child getting them where they are in this very moment.
And so yes, take a moment during those milestones, and be sure to celebrate and honor your accomplishments as well. And as we often say, we don’t need to wait for a milestone to celebrate each other…so take a moment now and reflect on the momentous role you play each day in your child’s journey…and celebrate!
Easier Said Than Done
We spent time last week talking about the importance of asking for help, how we as a community are here for each other. What we didn’t spend time talking about was how difficult it can be to actually reach out and ask for that help. This is something I personally struggle with a great deal. I’m there in a heartbeat if anyone asks me for help, but I’m terrible at asking for help myself.
This past weekend, in the middle of that crazy heatwave, I tried putting together the pergola kit we ordered for our patio. This is a 10x14-foot beast of a cedar pergola. Mike, still regaining his energy after having the Coronavirus tried to help, but just didn’t have the energy. But I really wanted to get it done, so I set out to try and do it myself. I’m a big guy after all, if I’m the size of two people I can do this four-person job by myself, right? Never mind that when neighbors heard about the order, they all offered to help. I didn’t want to bother them, and I certainly wasn’t going to ask them during such a hot and sweaty weekend!
So Saturday I tried balancing boards on fences and gutters to replace helping hands. I was exhausted and frustrated but kept pushing on. Some boards fell and even got dinged up…but I was determined. I finally had to stop when I physically was unable to move on to the next step. That evening, I met with one of the neighbors who had offered her help before for a socially distanced cocktail on her patio. She said they saw me trying to build the pergola and wanted to come over and help, but they didn’t want to intrude. I imagined how ridiculous I had to appear trying to do it myself. She said that they all want to help us get it built, I just had to ask for help.
Sunday morning, after an hour of having the text message written, I finally hit send. Within 15 minutes I had six of my neighbors masked up in my driveway ready to help. In less than two hours we had the pergola to a point that I am now able to finish it without harm to myself or the pergola!
It was a great reminder of how difficult it can be to ask for help, but how rewarding it can be when you finally do. The hours of frustration (and pain) that I spent on Saturday could have been greatly reduced had I asked for help earlier. And the truth is, we had a lot of fun together doing it!
As one of the parents shared last night, asking for help truly is a gift. Not only to ourselves, but to the people we ask. We all want to help, we’re looking for ways to do it, and it feels great to be asked.
A Pop Tart as Giant as Matt…And Other Little Things Bringing Joy
Mike and I meeting Cathy Barrow at a book signing last September.
We learned that some of us have a shared love of that little delicious pastry…the Pop Tart. So attached is a recipe from one of my favorite authors, Cathy Barrow’s book, Pie Squared: Irresistibly Easy Sweet & Savory Slab Pies. A slab pie is a pie baked in a cookie sheet, so there’s lots to share. Here’s her recipe for Frosted Strawberry Slab Pie.
We also talked about a book I had read back in April, How to Wash the Dishes by Peter Miller. From this fun and quick read, I learned about Swedish Dishcloths. These cute, eco-friendly, and super durable cloths make me smile each time I stand at the sink. Three months in, I just replaced my first cloth!
From dishcloths to Pop Tarts, take a look around and notice the little things in your life that bring you joy each day. Don’t forget to give someone the gift of asking for their help. And take a moment to celebrate the wonderful awesomeness that is…you!
Peace and Love,
Matt and all of us at Islands of Brilliance
Banner Photo by Joyce Adams on Unsplash
