33 sentiments shared

Take Time. Give Thanks.

I had meant to just type up a post about the plans this year for Ava’s Tea Party..and I will.  Soon.  But firstly, I went looking for an image to go with my post. I wanted pink, pretty, princess. All the things you’d expect to find with a tea party post. Instead, I stopped at this. I stopped and stared and I remembered. I thought of all the things that made me love having a daughter. That made me first catch my breath while tears sprung to my eyes on hearing she was a girl. The times I’d stop and give thanks just to be able to buy hair clips and the joy I’d get from dressing her. That act, that simple act of buttoning her shirt, so many small moments where I’d fill to overflowing with happiness that she was here. Ava. I got her, I got my girl. I would raise her and she would grow and talk to me and fight with me and love me and we would travel a life together, as mother and daughter, seeing each other through good and bad. Oh, my love for her.

In this very image, I see all I adored in Ava. I see the ordinary, every day moments of contentment and gratitude.  I see all my hopes and expectations and I see what never was.   And, I see what Ava’s Tea Party is for.  I don’t mind if your plates don’t match. You don’t need to bake. Paper lanterns aren’t necessary. Please though, this August, take a moment..an extra moment..to reach out and grab your babies or your partners or your best friend. Find that person, find lots of persons, who need to be told how much they mean to you. And if you can’t say it in words, say it by sitting beside them and watching the sunlight hit the grass while you plan your tomorrows. Say it in laughter. Or in silence. Just take time and give thanks.   That’s all.

xx

1. Lea says:

   I love you & her & all that you have both brought to my life.
   With a smile & a tear we will again give thanks.
   xxx

   
2. laureen says:

   oh sheye…thank you. beautiful words…

   
3. Christine says:

   agree with everything you just wrote. you’re beautiful.

   
4. rachel says:

   i see it too…thank you for sharing.

   
5. Nicole says:

   You have a lovely way of always putting things into perspective, beautiful words thankyou for sharing xx

   
6. Tamara says:

   somewhere over the rainbow sheye. xt

   
7. Fiona Lumsdaine says:

   Thank you for reminding me to be grateful. x

   
8. Jody says:

   Your words and love bring tears to my eyes. Thank you for sharing Sheye <3

   
9. shelbi says:

   my heart aches. all the love in the world to you dear sheye. xo

   
10. suz doyle says:

    stop. making. me. cry.
    every time i visit your blog, you remind me to find that time and be grateful for it, too soon i forget but then i visit again. thank you. and ava.
    let the tea party planning begin.

    
11. Marsha B says:

    And so blue cups and saucers it will be for me and my two sons and a tea party filled with laughter, fun and tickles as I soak in my gratefulness of their very presence. And my thoughts will be never far from you and your sweet princess. xx

    
12. Vanessa Paris says:

    She
    changed
    My
    Life
    x

    
13. Aurea says:

    lovely words as always. I got exactly what your saying. xxx

    
14. Catherine says:

    So lovely, Sheye. Thank you for sharing so much with us.

    
15. Steph says:

    Ditto what Vanessa said.
    Such power in that sweet little face.
    xoxo

    
16. Caseybumpinalong says:

    What a wonderful, wonderful post, and very sweet picture!

    
17. Charlene J. says:

    Beautiful. Sad. Bittersweet. Lovely.
    Thank you.

    
18. Diane Herman says:

    my daughter turns 8 this month…she wants a tea party:)
    we will have it and I will remember your daughter, who like my son, lives forever in our hearts xxxxx

    
19. Melissa says:

    thank you. your words are so beautiful & powerful

    
20. Life with Kaishon says:

    We will celebrate for certain.
    The ordinary is the spectacular.

    
21. Sunshine says:

    What a beautiful post. Every time I come to your blog and read one of your “Ava” posts, I am reminded of the beauty of family and I leave it so much more grateful than before. You and your superprincess have made such an impact on so many lives. In fact, Ava’s story and your writings of her made such an impact on me, that over 3 years later as I lay in the hospital after giving birth to my 4th child, a child that did not have a name for 4 days because nothing was beauty full enough to describe her, she was finally named “Ava.” It was a name that I never considered while pregnant, but while running through name after name and discarding them all, I remembered your Ava, and how that name encompasses so much. Your photos and memories of Ava have given that name so much power and beauty for me and embedded it in my subconscious. I never even realized it until that moment. And so she was named “Ava.” My Ava turns 1 this August. We will remember your Ava always and my Ava, when she is old enough, will know the story of the little girl, and her incredible mommy, who inspired her name.

    
22. Kristin says:

    It’s so easy to forget, when your kids are young and won’t give you a moment’s peace, what a privilege it is to have them here. Thanks for helping us remember.

    
23. Denise Armbruster says:

    she changed my life too.
    Love, Denise
    x0x0

    
24. Stephanie says:

    only a Superprincess and her family would have the magic to reach out and touch so many

    
25. Bridget says:

    I went to Ava’s tea party gallery. This one is my favorite: http://www.avasteaparty.com/wp-content/uploads/2010vanessap.jpg.

    Today wasn’t so great for me. Or my kids. They were wild. I took them on a drive for 2 hours and didn’t say a word. I didn’t think I could without yelling and arguing with them. Instead my stereo drowned out their voices and fighting.

    Even when we have our own connection to heaven, it takes reading about yours to soften me. And to realize that tomorrow is a new day. A day for more loving and gentle teaching and fewer harsh words.

    
26. Cathleen says:

    I will. I promise. But for now- a hug for you.

    
27. fernanda says:

    Oh, Sheye and Ava, you changed my life, of course we will make our tea party. Sheye, thanks for shared the Ava’s story, and Ava, thanks to changed my life. We will make our party, with cupcakes, but we call them ‘quequitos’ here in méxico :)
    Love,
    Fernanda xx

    
28. Tay says:

    Oh Sheye– as usual, beautiful words. We will have a lovely pink tea party and I will continue to give thanks each and every day. Thank you for your wisdom and for inspiring but most of all thank you for being you. You are so wonderful.
    xx
    Tay

    
29. Ellen says:

    Yes. Exactly. The dreams, hopes, expectations and excitement never leave as long as they remain in our hearts. Love to you.

    
30. Ingrid M. says:

    Beautiful words Sheye! All I see in this image of you and Ava is love, pure love.

    
31. Susan Byrd says:

    Beautiful!

    
32. dora says:

    I cannot explain why, I live on the other side of the world and I love this little face…it’s like I knew her, and all what we all know about Ava superprincess comes directly from your heart sheye. thank you! (and thank you world wide web :))

    
33. tara pollard pakosta says:

    Dear Sheye,

    I cannot believe that your darling Ava would be turning 8 years old…time goes by entirely too fast…We will be celebrating something in honor of your Ava, however simple it may be, we will do something! much love, prayers.
    Tara Pakosta