Week 25: No Pressure, But I Know Some Incredible Kids...

Dear Baby,

As your arrival becomes more of a reality, I am slowly stepping away from various roles and activities.  The process of doing this in preparation for you is thrilling.  But, I can’t lie, there are moments where thoughts of letting go are tough.  I am reminded of incredible blessings that make my transition to motherhood somewhat bittersweet.

La Crosse, the city where you will grow up, is an amazing place!  Since moving here six years ago I’ve come to love the history, traditions, scenery, and connections that accompany smaller town living.  La Crosse is where I found my footing as a young adult.  I started my career here, explored my boundaries, made mistakes, met spectacular friends, learned big lessons, reconnected with my faith, and celebrated many successes.  It’s where I met and married Dad, the love of my life!  This place is awesome and I hope you come to appreciate all it has to offer!

What I love most about La Crosse is the community of people.  People and relationships, I’ve found, offer purpose and meaning in life.  One place where I’ve met the most extraordinary people of La Crosse is at English Lutheran Church.  I know and believe that people matter to God.  If it were not for the people present through my own faith journey and life experiences, my self-worth and leadership capabilities would be less than where they stand now.  It has been people who’ve befriended me, persuaded me to reach new limits, and supported me time and time again.  This is true of my church family from St. Mark’s where I grew up and, now, my church family of English Lutheran.

For the past three years I’ve had the honor of working as the high school youth coordinator at English Lutheran.  Through this position I’ve met some amazing youth. I’ve laughed, cried, traveled on mission trips, and served with these kids.  I’ve opened up to them, and in turn, they’ve opened up to me.  What will remain most memorable is that I’ve prayed with them and for them. Baby, no pressure here, but before you were born I already knew some pretty remarkable kids.  And these kids have set the bar pretty high!   I know you’ll keep up.

In my role of mentoring high school youth, I’ve also been mentored.  Lessons and examples from the parents of these youth, guidance from pastors, and even the kids themselves have taught me much.  I realize every situation has specially prepared me to become a mom – your mom.  And, as I reflect on my experiences, I am so very thankful for such an inspiring path to help begin the teachings of parenthood.

As I transition to leave behind my role as high school youth coordinator, I want every youth who has ever passed through English Lutheran’s doors to know they are loved by me, by their church family, and by God.  My joy would be for the youth of English Lutheran to one day reflect on where their spirituality took root, knowing they were befriended by myself and others who pushed them to new limits in the church and community, and supported them time and time again.  It would also be my joy for you, baby, to one day be a part of this awesome high school youth program.  You have lots to look forward to!  I can’t wait to be your mom, and I can’t wait for you to meet some of these awesome kids!  Know that you are already a special child of God, dear little one.

How do you sum up an experience like this in photos...?  You can't.  But, in an attempt to share just how incredible these kids are, here are a few highlights from over the years!