I am a sucker for the mail. The real, hold-in-your-hands, delivered-by-the-friendly-postman kind of mail. Letters, packages, cards, and pictures- I love it all. Never has this been more true than when I received an unexpected box from my incredibly thoughtful grandparents. Inside was a letter with the following excerpt, "Grandpa and I want your family to have these glasses that are engraved with an "E". By way of explanation you need to know that they belonged to my mother and father- Dorothy & Jim Elder. I have had them since her death in 1991. You may remember that you and your family were in attendance at her memorial service at the Methodist Church in Dana, Indiana in April of that year. You will probably remember that you and your mother- & her siblings - called my mother Nana and referred to my father as Bapa- he died in 1964 long before you were born. These were special glasses to her & she enjoyed using them very much. We hope you will enjoy using them, knowing they belonged to your great grandmother and great grandfather." The letter went on with more special details from our family history as well as kindness and encouragement for our upcoming twin adventure. Not only will the letter and glasses be treasured in our family, but I now have this wonderful new connection of the family name I married into- Ertle- with the name of my great grandparents- Elder. The "E" now links my past and present As if that weren't enough, the package also included comfy new jammies for Elodie that she immediately tried on as she practiced her upcoming role as big sister to twin babies. Filled with gratitude for such a special gift for our family. |
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I've always struggled on social media with deciding what to share. For me it's a way to connect to the circles of friends, past and present, that I've made throughout my life. And I have been tremendously blessed to have met some seriously phenomenal folks along the way. Trying to find the balance of what to share has been tricky though. I don't need people to know when I work-out (or more honestly, when I don't). My West coast burrito, as delicious as it was, isn't of overwhelming interest. I rolled over my toe with a shopping cart at Target- and although I laughed at my own clumsiness and broken nail - it didn't need to be broadcasted on newsfeeds worldwide. Over the last couple years, since the birth of my daughter Elodie, my sharing has been pretty focused on the very best of our parenting journey. The sweetest, happiest, most adorable photos showing our lovely daughter doing awesome things. After moving across the country 7 years ago, it is important that my East Coast Village be a part of our lives even if they can't be here for the day-to-day stuff. However, I've had to reflect after reading the studies revealing that Facebook makes people more depressed. It turns out we tend to look at photos of others and think their life is filled with nothing but adorable clothes, sweet smiles, and perfect family trips. The last thing I would want to do is to ever make anyone feel down. My life's goal, quite honestly, is to do the opposite. But my tendency is to only share the good. With Elodie, for example, I was quick to share the miraculous and awesome hypnobirthing labor and birth, but I didn't feel so inclined to share the tears, lonliness, and frustrations of 4 months of pumping around the clock when nursing didn't go well. Most recently, we had the blessing of sharing our announcement of a twin pregnancy, but I didn't share the heartbreaking miscarriage earlier in the year. I'm happy to share pictures when I get to see my friends and family, but I don't post when I don't leave the house because I'm feeling overwhelmed, isolated, or frustrated. So in the end, I guess this is my "it's good but not that good" post. I could say I don't share the downs because I'm a private person, but when I think about how much I love the people in my Village, I don't think it's fair to be private about bad and so open about the good. I never want anyone to feel alone or discouraged based on seeing only my family's celebrations. Also, although I hope you know it, I am always, always here for you if you need someone to listen: the good, the bad, the explosive diarrhea. If you're reading this, you're my Tribe and I'm here for you. In toddler talk, sometimes we're happy and we eat ice cream, but other times our world crumbles because our ice cream is gone.
Twins. Twins, you say? Really, twins? Oh. My. Goodness. Twins! As I processed the word, the new reality, the guarantee of the unknown, I went through a spectrum of emotions. From fear to, well let’s be honest, I spent quite a while with fear. It moved to excitement and nervousness, throw in a lot of 1st trimester vomiting, and I am now filled with excitement and with determination. This determination brought me to a decision I had been playing with in my mind for quite some time. I wanted to be a part of the Rodan and Fields team which had been amazing me with their pictures and testimonials on social media over the last few years. With a lifetime battle against my own skin, I knew I wanted to use their products and I also knew I wanted to be a part of their growing success. So, I’ve launched into the R&F consultant position and I am thrilled to be a part of something I can believe in and share with my village. Please let me know if you’re feeling the itch to try it yourself or to be a part of a phenomenal growing company. And now to plan a 2-year-old birthday party. To find a vehicle that fits 3 car seats. And a house, a much bigger house. Until Next Time, Jessica http://jertle.myrandf.com Email me at: [email protected] |
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