I am writing from my favorite chair on my backyard patio. May is here, the weather is warm, and summer is just around the corner. As someone who was born and raised in Michigan, I love all the seasons and the excitement each one brings but summer has always been my favorite. For me it is very nostalgic and reminds me of summers at my grandparent’s pool, ice cream runs, and trips up north. It is a time to slow down with the family and enjoy the break in the school year, get outdoors more often, have backyard bonfires, bbqs, and ice cream. After this very different school year I am ready for all this season’s offerings.

With that being said it is time for May’s edition of These Three Things. These Three Things is a place where I intentionally seek the good and beauty in my life and I invite you to join me. Each month I share what I am grateful for, what’s bringing me joy, and what I am reading.

GratitudeSomething I am incredibly grateful for is the bond between my 3 girls. I feel that this past year of virtual school and all of us being home together has brought them closer together. Not that they don’t have the occasional arguments too. They of course do but I have watched the three of them plan their own at home activities together like sister time when they all head to one of their bedrooms together to talk and watch a show. I watched my two teenagers work on homework together and my oldest and youngest daughter chat and playfully tease each other between classes. I have always been close to my sister so I know what a blessing it is. When I was pregnant with my youngest daughter I was worried that this kind of relationship may not exist because my oldest and youngest are 8 years apart but I have watched them develop a special bond over the years and for that, I am very grateful.

Joy

One thing that is bringing me Joy is the strand of white lights I bought for 50 cents at a garage sale. For me, it’s the simple and little things that bring me the greatest joy! We hung them over my bookshelf in our bedroom. I love turning them on in the evening when I read in bed. They add a new ambiance. Everything feels so warm and cozy and they just make me smile.

What am I reading

It has been a while since I read a book on Motherhood and since we celebrate Mother’s Day in May I decided it was the perfect time to pick one up again. I have had the book Parenting the Wholehearted Child sitting on my shelf for quite some time so this has been my May personal growth read. I also checked out Lauren Graham’s autobiography ‘Talking as Fast as I Can” out of the library. Lauren is the actress who played Lorelai on Gilmore Girls. I am a fan of the show and started watching it with my two older girls so this has been a fun read for me.

For my fiction reading, I dove into another book by Rachel Hauck. She is a Christian Fiction author and her stories are beautiful! I chose one of her older books Lost in NashVegas. It is a sweet and fun story about a woman who heads to Nashville to pursue her dream of becoming a country music songwriter. The book is about her overcoming fears with God and being true to herself. I am a huge country music fan so I enjoyed this very much! I also finished book 4 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians and continued my quarterly book club book, Twilight with my oldest daughter.

I would love to hear from you with your Three Things for May. Reply to this email and let me know.

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