We carry little people

It's late, and I'm hoping for more sleep than I have been getting. Tomorrow we are teaching the story of the Good Samaritan. I am happily turning over more of the Sunday school hour to the small group leaders so they can teach the story more relative to the experience level of their kiddos. Today can mostly be summed up by saying that I spent a lot of time trying to keep my body warm and moving so that I don't tense up too much. Very sore from the Water Night, but so pleased with the response we had from it. Also pleased to have a break from events until VBS. Plenty to do, still, but at least one less thing.
I decided to participate in an Instagram tag challenge called #wecarrylittlepeople by a blog called The Lovely Collective (run by a very sweet, Christian lady named Natalie). The challenge is to post a favorite picture from childhood and create a "toast" to that little person who is still in you, celebrating and honoring their unique voice, grieving what they may have lost, and creating a safe space to tell their stories... ultimately with the goal of letting go of fears and being healed by love/sharing stories of love healing. I don't have many photos here, and I don't have any of the ones I would consider my favorite of myself from childhood, but I found one that I happened to have that I do really like. So I posted it, a "toast" to little Britany, and Natalie featured me on her Insta page! Here's what I posted in case you didn't see:

Little darling, so many things will try to rob you of joy. Even now, it stings a little to remember how quickly you will know what sadness means. But I am so proud of you that you soldier on loving people fully… jumping in and loving with your whole heart. Try to remember to be as kind to yourself as you are to others. Don’t let your life be defined by losses. And don’t let your identity be rooted in pain. It’s important to tell yourself the truth gently and constantly. Be confident in things that are constant, and don’t worry over the things that are temporary. Treat yourself with respect, little one. You are precious and worthy of being cared for. You are a beautiful sunshine. Just keep spreading that sunshine around. Your joy is contagious.

 Now I'm drinking my cup of rooibos tea and editing some photos before tucking up in bed. Here's a sneak peek...