My Favorite Blessing
A Very Late Reflection on a Very Special Night
Ok, very late.
We hosted our first annual PJ Holiday Party on a Saturday night in December 2024. It was one of those simple but meaningful gatherings that came together in the best way — moms’ night in, kids playing, crafting, eating, laughing, and just existing together in the same space without overthinking it.
There was food everywhere, drinks flowing, crafts set up for the kids, and a house full of noise in the best possible way. It was one of those nights where nothing was perfect, but everything felt right.
A time was truly had.
And after that night, I knew we would be doing it again. It already felt like the beginning of something we’d want to keep going year after year.
Watching Childhood Repeat Itself in Real Time
One of the most special parts of that night wasn’t even the party itself — it was watching the kids.
Seeing the cousins play together brought back so many memories I didn’t even realize were still that close to the surface. My sister and I grew up with our cousins in a way that made them feel less like extended family and more like built-in best friends. We did everything together. Holidays, summers, random weekends, all of it.
Even our friends sometimes became cousins in a way that only makes sense when you grow up surrounded by that kind of closeness.
So to watch my own children now playing with their cousins, in the same kind of effortless way, felt like something quietly emotional in the background of the night.
It wasn’t loud or dramatic. It was just familiar in a way that made me pause for a moment.
The Gift of Childhood Friendships
Growing up, our cousins were our first and best friends. They are the ones who hold all the shared secrets, the embarrassing stories, and the family moments you never fully live down but also never want to forget.
Those early friendships shaped so much of what came later in life. They taught us how to exist in relationships, how to share space, and how to grow up alongside other people who were also figuring things out.
I don’t take that lightly now.
Not everyone grows up with that kind of built-in connection, and I think I understand now how rare and special it really was.
How Fast the Future Becomes the Present
I’ve always wanted children for as long as I can remember. Being a mom always felt like something in my future, something far away that I had plenty of time to grow into.
When I was younger, everything about adulthood felt distant. The future felt like something you could slowly prepare for without realizing how quickly it would actually arrive.
And now I’m here, looking around at a house full of kids, hosting holiday parties, and spending time with other moms while our children run around together.
Sometimes I catch myself thinking about how surreal that is.
It feels like just yesterday I was planning outfits for Spirit Week in high school. And somehow, in what feels like both a blink and a lifetime, I’m here — in a completely different stage of life, watching the next generation live out their own childhoods.
Time has a way of humbling you like that. It moves constantly, but also forces you to slow down enough to notice it if you’re paying attention.
Watching My Children Build Their Own World
One of my favorite things in life right now is watching my children play and explore the world through their own eyes.
There’s something incredibly grounding about getting a front row seat to their first friendships. Watching them learn how to connect with others, how to navigate conflict, how to laugh together, how to simply exist alongside other kids.
Some of these friendships may last a lifetime, and some may not. But all of them matter in their own way.
There is a kind of privilege in witnessing it up close that I don’t ever want to take for granted.
Coming Full Circle
That night, surrounded by family, kids, noise, crafts, and laughter, I felt a strong sense of something coming full circle.
Watching my children experience what I once experienced with my own cousins brought back a quiet kind of gratitude. It reminded me of how much of who I am was shaped by those early relationships and shared childhood moments.
Growing up with my sister and all of our cousins — from both sides of the family — is something I now see as one of my greatest blessings. Those first friendships became the foundation for so many relationships that followed.
And now I get to watch my children step into something similar.
That feels like a gift I don’t take lightly.
My hope is that one day, they’ll look back on their childhood the same way I do — and smile at all of it.
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