Nostalgia is heavy in the air this time of year. There are numerous memories that I like to cling to from my childhood. I call them back especially when life loses its magic, and they've been on repeat for several days now as life continues to throw me curveballs and wreak havoc on every ounce of joy possible. My Autumn Mood Board is inspired by that nostalgia. I can see little Kendra now... she's wild and carefree—never anxious or scared like the grown version I'm living in now. She has boundless energy and her imagination is her superpower. I so wish I could scoop her up and hold her tight. I never should have let her go. In my attempts to bring her out from the shadows the world keeps casting over me, I have to make sure to include all of her favorite things: ruby slippers, skeleton keys, books filled with fairytales and lots of magic! I can't forget sweet treats (I'm glad she had a mother who made sure she didn't overindulge, how I wish I had someone to keep me on track now). She loved to dress up and rarely answered to her own name. If you wanted her attention you'd have to call her Dorothy usually, even Ariel sometimes. She could make due with anything—she once used a brick as a pet chicken. The sky was the limit for little Kendra. I wish I hadn't allowed her to shrink herself down.
This time of year isn't starting off the best for me, if you couldn't already tell. But I know this isn't the end. I've got much more story left in me, and it's only just beginning. This season I want to revive those pieces of me that are part of the essence of who God created me. And I want to bring that same magic into the lives of my own children this season. After all, autumn exists to remind us that things must end in order for them to begin again.
