Letter To My Husband at Basic 2

Dear Loving Husband,

I hold our baby close for you and whisper to him that his daddy loves him. I tell him stories about you so he knows who you are. I let him play with your dog tags and tell him what everything means on them. I pray for your peace and protection with him every night.

We make this separation work. We walk this path not alone, but with Christ, helping us through times of loneliness reminding us we aren't alone. I pray you look to him in this time of need. 

Together we count the days until we can see you next. Stay strong for me until then and we will stay strong for you until then. 

Forever yours,

            Your Loving Wife

How To Get Little Ones Involved In Writing Letters

My husband Zayne is currently at military boot camp at Fort Leonard Wood Missouri. I write him every day, but my son, being 3 months old can't really write him. And I know he would love to get anything from him so I came up with ideas to help Eli get involved.

1. Use paint to make hand prints and footprints on your letters. 

Eli can't write or draw yet, so I write letters and use his foot prints or hand prints for him to sign our letters. This way Eli has a part in the letter and Zayne can watch as his little hands and feet grow.  

2- Pictures, the kind you draw

If your child is old enough to scribble on a paper to any extent, then have them draw a picture and send that to your loved one. No matter how messy or crazy the picture is send it to them. I promise the color and the thought will make their day!

3- Pictures 

Now this one is kind of a no brainer. Take pictures of life while your loved one is gone and send them to them. I also am going to get professional pictures done, my sister is a professional photographer (Bekah Hatch Photography) and I am having her take pictures of me and Eli to send to my husband.

The Veil Is Thinner Than You Think

I believe that the veil that separates this life from the life beyond is thinner than we think. Especially for babies and toddlers. They are fresh from the pre-mortal life in the presence of God and in the company of our ancestors and the veil separating them from that is very thin.

Like when my husband and I found out that we were having a boy. We decided to name him Elijah. a few days later we were babysitting my niece and nephew. While we were babysitting I would show pictures of people in our family to my two year old niece and asking her what their names were. With each picture she new exactly who they were and would tell me their names. Then I got to a picture of my ultra sound and thought it would be fun to ask her who it was to see what she would do. "June, who is this?" I said as I pointed to the picture of the ultra sound.

Without even hesitating she looked at the picture and said, "Elijah," very matter-of-factly and went back to playing.

I looked at Zayne and by the look on his face I knew he had heard it too. I knew at that moment that Elijah and June had spent time together in the pre-mortal life and that they knew each other. How amazing is that! That many of us knew each other before we were born? That a lot of us were friends before we were born! I think that's why with some people we just click and it feels like we have known each other forever, because we actually have! MIND BLOWN!

The veil IS thinner than we think, and we DO have help from BOTH sides of the veil.

Another example from my son is after we had decided on the name Elijah we were trying to think of middle names and I just felt like he had a very close connection to my grandpa so we named him Elijah Seymour Glatz after my Grandpa Seymour. And through out the whole pregnancy I felt as if my grandpa was there helping me through it. "Sometimes the veil between this life and the life beyond becomes very thin. Our loved ones who have passed on are not far from us." (Ezra Taft Benson)

I just know that he and Eli had spent a lot of time together up in heaven. I feel that through out Eli's life my grandpa will be there helping him, even if he doesn't know it. Like the pioneers that felt someone pushing their handcart from behind but when they looked back they saw no one. It was because they had help from the other side of the veil. "You have help from both sides of the veil, and you must never forget that. When disappointment and discouragement strike... remember and never forget that if our eyes could be opened we would see horses and chariots of fire as far as the eye can see riding at reckless speed to come to our protection." (Jeffrey R. Holland, 'For Time of Trouble' March 1980) 

CHILLS.

How great is it that not only people we know here on earth are cheering us on and helping us, but people on the other side of the veil are too. We have the help, we have the encouragement. We can beat Satan. And we can make it back to our loving Heavenly Father again. Remember, "heaven is cheering you on today, tomorrow, and forever." (Jeffrey R. Holland)

Hold Him a Little Longer

I know how stressful it is to be a mom. Life gets busy, chores pile up, errands need ran, and the baby still needs fed every 2 hours. The mountain of laundry mocks me every time I walk into the room. The dishes from yesterdays dinner are still sitting in the sink waiting for me to wash them. And if I'm being completely honest, I haven't showered in a couple days. There is so much to get done in a 24 hour day it causes most moms major stress trying to keep up with it all.

But today, I'm not going to do any of that, it can wait until tomorrow. Today I am going to pull my little guy close and whisper to him how much I love him. Today I am going to cuddle with him and try to memorize the way he smells of baby lotion. Today I am going to read him a story, and then a few more. I'll sing him my favorite primary songs and nursery rhymes. I'll count his little fingers and toes one more time. I'll hold him tight and take a note of how small he is. 

Because soon he will no longer be this little baby I'm holding right now. Soon he will be an adult and will be moving out. Soon he will be getting married and having kids of his own. Soon but not today. So for today while he is still my little baby boy, I'm going to hold him a little longer, and love on him a little more.