Four Girls Later

Hey friends, been a while. I sure hope everyone is surviving and thriving in the summer sun. It has been a whirlwind of a start to summer break, hence my absence. Baby #3 had surgery and the down time/recovery has been more extensive than I thought. If you know her, you wouldn’t find it surprising at all to learn that even surgery held some surprises and new territory for me. That is a story for another time though. 

The “hold me mommy”s have been in high demand, my house is a mess, and my big girls have watched entirely too much television, but we are making it. I will always be so thankful for friends that bring food, pick other kids up, chat with me in my driveway, text during the late hours, and even those that understand my plate is too full at times. Also, MVP awards to my sister that fills in where I can’t and my mom that dives in wherever. 

So this post is actually not about me or baby #3. This one is all about a trip to the beach for the girl that made me a mama, my oldest daughter. She just turned 10, double digits, a whole decade. That still seems impossible to say. I just keep repeating, “things that are healthy grow”… and growing she is. In order to savor in the sweetness that is a recap of last weekend, I need to first paint a little backstory.  

Leading up to this birthday, it has been tough for my girl. Her favorite human, her daddy, wasn’t going to be here because of work. Being the beautiful soul that she is, she has stepped up to try and make that easier on me… but that empty seat at the table was screaming his absence. Her sister had JUST had surgery and clearly her physical needs took precedence. Without sharing too much, peer relationships have been hard this year. There has been a lot of hurt. This has been both hard and beautiful to watch, because although I can’t “fix it” for her, she is learning for herself. So I knew we needed to really celebrate her and let her pick our plans. 

We are beach lovers over here, and just about every single time we’ve ever been… she has been combing for sharks teeth. Note, never EVER had we found one. For her birthday, she wanted to go shark tooth hunting. Let me please tell you, I added every shark tooth hunting Facebook group there is and began to ask every possible question.

If you’ve been here for any time at all, you know, one of my fundamental beliefs is that God cares about the fine details of your life. He actually does. I imagine it in the same way that I really know my children better than anyone else. I know their nuances, the little things that bring them joy. 

I think it’s easy to get caught up in believing that God has bigger stuff to worry about than the little things in your life. God is not worried. He knows the plan. He knows the end. He is not bound like we are. He loves you and cares about the little things that bring you joy. 

So onto the weekend. While in the lobby, a conversation organically evolved and as we emphatically shared why we were there, a beautiful couple shared they were there for a celebration of life service for their nephew. The stark contrast of events was not lost on me. Next thing I knew, this woman had gone to her room and come back with 4 perfect shark teeth. What a gift, there are no words for appreciation of a gift like that, and in the midst of heartache. 

While back at the room, we already declared the trip a win and excitedly left with no expectations. We got to the pier and painted shells (mama if you’re not bringing water colors to the beach, ENDLESS entertainment)and began the search. Next thing I knew the kindest woman spotted a shark tooth and called my daughter over before it washed away. Then a man (who shared the birthday week) began handing them left and right to the girls. Strangers found us and encouraged us, shared their treasures with us, and deposited little bits of joy. We left giddy.  In fact we went back to our hotel, swam, and had a diy spa night with ice cream and a movie. 

We decided to stop by the beach one last time in the morning. Y’all. We found sharks teeth. All on our own. We left that “shark tooth hunt birthday” with 20 in tow. Those teeth symbolized so much more than beach trinkets. Those teeth were answers to prayers. Those teeth brought joy in the form of complete strangers. They were a very needed win. The fine details of my daughters life matter. 

The fine details of your life matter, too. 

Shine your light. 

Xoxo, 

Sara