Inspiration...

This spring I had the joy of attending a Bat Mitzvah celebration for the daughter of a friend. My friend took the Bat Mitzvah concept and modified it to reflect the values of their family. As we sat at the celebration in March, my heart was inspired to do something similar. Over the past year I have become more and more convinced that our teens are receiving a message that maturity means independence. I know that is the message that I have consumed. But what if true maturity is interdependence?? What if we are called to ask for help MORE as we get older, not less? Young adults are expected to make major decisions completely alone in our culture today. Decisions about sex, drugs, careers.... fight for the attention of our young people. Sure parents are told to stay involved, but in a culture that prides itself on doing things our way that involvement is often tenuous at best. As my husband and I discussed how we can move into our daughter's 13th year, we decided to make community the center of the celebration.

We asked four women to join us over the next year. Ranging in age from early 30s to middle 70s these women have stories to share on the joys and struggles that life has laid out for them. At the heart they each have a deep faith in God who has and is faithful to carry them through. It is my prayer that these relationships will be reminders to my daughter that she is not alone. That she is not the first to feel like she does not fit in, that she is not the first to wonder what the future will hold, that she is not the first to love and have that love misunderstood. We asked the women to commit to the next year with our family. We will meet as a group every other month starting in June. We will read a few books that tell the story of coming of age. Then on the off months, one of the ladies will take her out for some one-on-one time. The idea is not to lecture or lay out five easy steps through middle school, but rather to share our lives. I believe that there is power in this.

I am excited about this year. I am excited to step into 13 with hope rather than only fear. But yes.. I do have fears, and that is what this blog is about. I do not want to try and speak for my daughter. It is not my intention to share her perspective on this stage in her life, but rather to share mine. My hopes, dreams, fears, doubts. How do I hope to raise a 13 year old girl in a culture that threatens her very spirit? How do I cling to faith when stories of brokenness surround us?

Thank you for taking the time to share in this journey with us! Please take a moment to write comments/thoughts/questions.

Many blessings,

Krys