May is here

and the hummingbirds are back

Dear Friend,

If I look at my May calendar, I don’t see a lot of blank space. With the end of school festivities (saying goodbye to preschool included….), horse lessons, soccer, camping, family visit, and a slew of book events leading up to Mother’s Day, I already feel tired. But more than tiredness, I sense a sadness in the fleetingness of this season. This is the last we’ll have a child in preschool at a place that I adore.

At preschool drop off last week, one of the teachers commented on how hard leaving preschool can be (for kids and parents). I’ve been savoring the time this year with Isaac: lunches together, library visits, books on the couch, Aldi trips, and watching him build legos. Next year he’ll be joining Charlotte for school all day (and that is also a topic for another day as many people have asked, “What are you going to do when both kids are in school?”)

This is our transition — preschool to full time school, 2nd grade to 3rd grade, moving from writing a book to marketing and selling a book — but I know that May brings other transitions for you. Graduations or an upcoming change of jobs or an impending move. Maybe there are some health concerns that need addressing. There’s the new routines and rhythms of summer.

This month invites us to hold a lot of feelings but, all too often, not as much time to process the emotions.

So, I’ve been practicing presence more these last few weeks. I’ve been putting the phone away. I’ve been lingering over books and lego creations. I’ve been sitting on the porch again. I’ve been tossing softballs over and over. I’ve been on the side lines cheering.

With the warmer weather, Isaac and I have been enjoying lunch and snacks on the front porch. With our hanging baskets and flowers surrounding us, the hummingbirds have returned. Two come and dance before us, their wings buzzing and their bodies shimmering. We watch them zip back and forth and marvel at this sweet creation. Isaac and I smile to one another, his eyes aglow with delight.

Perhaps, that’s where I’m finding time this season to see hope rather than only sadness. Maybe it’s in the flutter of the hummingbirds that I can trust that seasons come and go, yet we can always return to one another and find a safe space to land.

What are you looking forward to this month? I’d love to hear!

With gratitude,

Kim

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The Beauty of Motherhood In the World

(Here’s what others are saying about our book!)

This devotional is for moms everywhere. It’s the gift I wish I had in those early days, those first days. Kim and Erin throw open the door to grace and prayer, encouraging it to trickle into your difficult mornings or exhausting nights. This book quietly reminds us of who we are and who we hope to be; for our kids, for ourselves—appointed by our Creator. Mama. // Thank you Military Mom Collective and Kailyn Rhinehart for this review!

Both motherhood and faith are best experienced in community and in conversation with others on the journey; The Beauty of Motherhood makes an excellent companion. I think any mother will find joy, comfort, solidarity, and meaning in its pages. // Thank you Englewood Review and Lindsey Cornett for this review.

Ways to Help Spread the Word about The Beauty of Motherhood

• If you’ve read the book, writing an Amazon review is SO helpful! You don’t have to have purchased from Amazon to review, anyone can review there!

• If you’ve been eyeing The Beauty of Motherhood to gift yourself or others, Bookshop now has 10% off The Beauty of Motherhood. Promo code MOTHERHOOD, and is valid until May 31, 2023.  

• Ask your local library to purchase the book!

• Consider inviting me to share with your church or mom’s group (in person or virtually!)

• Purchase as a Mother’s Day Gift!
  

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My Favorite Things

“Finally, when I can’t hold them any longer or my patience is frayed, I’ll turn to each one and mark the sign of the cross on their forehead. “You are a loved Child of God,” I tell them. Sometimes they turn their head and I’m left with their back. Other times they quickly reach their fingers towards me marking a quick cross on my head. No matter the struggle or the squirming, the blessing gets to them. Every night, they hear they are loved.” // Read my full essay at Mothering Spirit on Grace at Night: A Bedtime Diary.

Love this reflection and prompts for celebrating the joys of being a mom from my co-author Erin.

If you’re looking to cultivate time for family devotions, I love these thoughts on 4 Things I Learned from Creating a Family Devotions Routine.

My friend Fay interviewed author Catherine Newman about her latest book, We All Want Impossible Things, and shares how humor helped her with grief.

I just adore everything about this: art, flowers, and creativity quotes!

I’ll continue to sing the praises of our small town of Cole Camp, Missouri. Here you can get a glimpse of its German roots and what makes this place so special.

“Many, if not most of you reading this, do not have a child with autism. But the latest data tells us that 1 in 36 of us do. And from my place in that data, I can tell you this: our lives are intertwined, and we need you. We are so grateful for any attempt you make to understand autism, to love our children, and to remind us that our life’s work is in the hands of a sovereign God, and it matters.” // Read more from Katie Blackburn in A Life’s Work.  

With the end of school comes sharing gratitude with our teachers! All the cheers for those who work in a school! Thank you doesn’t seem enough. So here are a few unique teacher gift ideas! My go-to recently has been a handwritten note and a gift card to one of our local shops in town.

What I’m Reading

• The Lives We Actually Have by Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie. This book is a collection of 100 blessings for imperfect days. I loved soaking up these words each morning and appreciated their honest take on the lives right in front of us. They have blessings for pain and caregiving and joy and feeling bored.

• The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. I needed a light, fun read and this book didn’t disappoint! It takes place in England in a retirement village where a group of residents take up solving past crimes and then find themselves involved in a real murder in their town.

• Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus is my current read. I’m about halfway through and enjoying the story and characters (especially the dog). I went into the book thinking it would be lighter, and it does have pieces of lightness but it also includes themes about the weight of motherhood, grief, and loss.

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So grateful for you, friend! I’ll be back in your inboxes the first Wednesday in June!

Bring us peace, God,

enough for this moment.

Enough to quiet the questions with no answers.

And, while you’re at it,

pencil us in for tomorrow, too. (The Lives We Actually Have)