Baby Showers & 10th Birthday Parties: Tablescape with food and potted mini succulents.

One only needs to turn on the news to recognize that life is full of atrocities, problems and traumatic happenings. We could easily soak in the words of the angriest rant of the latest news cycle and forget to help plant seeds for the future. Seeds that will potentially and eventually grow into sprouts that will reach as high as they can to provide shade, bloom and harvest for ourselves and those who come ahead of us.

Milestones are these seeds of opportunity.

They allow us to take a moment, look at how far we have come, and also create a pause for connection to the hope and promise of what may come after.

This year, I decided to put myself back into reclaiming milestones as memories and investments in the future.

Amythest birthday cake made by an Auntie.

Reaching the tenth year of mothering has provided me with a decade of intensified personal growth and healing. Each year she lives is a year I am challenged to reparent and mother myself in a new way, while also witnessing the incredible individuality and journey of another spirit that is separate from me, yet made possible by me. Taking the mindful time to throw her a birthday party and delve into her interests is an honour as well as an investment in my own journey as a mother and woman. To practice witnessing her is to practice witnessing myself.

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It’s safe to say I was zero percent prepared for my long-distance best friend to announce she was pregnant. Her child-free, independent life, which I lived vicariously through, had been a mainstay throughout my ten-year journey as a parent. I had never considered that it might be my turn to follow along on her journey, waving my proverbial pom-poms as she evolved and gave birth to a new life and a new era of herself.

Celebrating these special moments was like pulling an ace card out of my sleeve and claiming one celebratory way to hold on to hope for the future, despite the turmoil that can threaten to overtake.

Ace of Hearts.

Heidi Collins & Sean O'Briens Wedding Bridal Party Shower at The Stubborn Goat in Halifax, NS.

Being asked to host any event for people you love is a daunting task and it also a fun one.   You want to make sure that they have the experience and time they were hoping for and that the guests also enjoy themselves while being brought into the atmosphere.

We hosted this Wedding Shower event at The Stubborn Goat in Halifax, bought some balloons & an emoji pictionary game off of Etsy and let the atmosphere take care of itself. 

What I loved the most about this event was how easy it was to enjoy the company of those who came.  The Stubborn Goat put us in the centre of everything which may seem daunting but it also meant we could easily get up, and talk with others and access the bathrooms.  As the evening turned into night the natural lighting gave way to the star like lights hanging from the high ceilings.  A truly magical effect. 

It is an honour to walk through this journey with Heidi.  She may be Jeremy's cousin, but for all intents and purposes she really was and is his sister.  So having the honour as a 'sister-in-law' to put together an event for her is one of the most precious and honouring of tasks.

Here's to many more opportunities to celebrate their milestones together.