Dear family,
Let me reveal to you our new family mission statement. Okay, I accept it’s OTT. You’re all bored with my over-achiever motherhood style; always looking for ways to change family life for the better, never content with where we’re at (chasing rainbows, one might say?).
I must admit this one had me ready to skip to the next chapter of 21 Days to a Happier Family. A family mission statement seemed a bit much even for me. But I do hang on every word of advice from Dr Justin Coulson and I felt I should give him the respect of persevering through Chapter One of his book.
He suggested we work on our statement together as a family but I assumed there would be little uptake from you lot. So, I just went ahead and drafted something on my own. I wrote a few lines in my diary about respect and kindness and made a mental note to run it by you all at some point.
However, at the breakfast table the following morning something about the conversation pricked my ears. We had all surfaced from a typical night of musical beds and I was half tuned-in to the usual bickering and subsequent talk about how we need to be courteous to one another. Amidst it all, Kyla’s midnight musings were being relayed. She had apparently woken in the night and said she loves her whole family “to the rainbows” (her own version of “to the moon and back” of Guess How Much I Love You fame). It occurred to me it is your way, Kyla, of conceptualising the love you have for your family members.
What is more important or empowering than a strong base of love for one another? If that love propels us out into the world I think we could all be the better for it. Actions and decisions charged by our care for one another would build a home of security, kindness and respect.
Later that day I decided to collect you, Scarlett, from preschool and stop by the beach for a bit of quality time, just the two of us. I had brought along a piece of the cake Kyla and I had made during the day and the dog because it had been raining all day and he really needed to pee. As we sat enjoying each other’s company between rain storms, I glanced up to see a rainbow over the water in front of us. I pointed it out to you and we both made excited acknowledgements at the wonders of nature. Rainbows: the eternal symbol of hope, new life and God’s faithfulness.
It was a sign. I had felt it in the morning and now the confirmation was right before my eyes. We had all decided our family mission statement together but I was the only one who knew it.
As you all grow up you will likely think it is terribly corny, perhaps annoying. You will roll your eyes when I ask you if your actions align with our values as a family and what is important to us as a unit. But I will respond by reminding you it was not I who inspired our mission statement; it was a collaborative effort, of sorts.
So there you have it. Our new family mission statement. If you hadn’t worked it out yet, it is indeed “Love each other to the rainbows.” It captures the magic of childhood, the value of family life, a belief in a Creator who never breaks his promises, a reminder to have fun and that we should always consider the needs of those closest to us. It is terribly twee but that’s okay because I really love it…to the rainbows…and back.
Love,
Mum