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Friday, April 13, 2012

L is for Lego, Love and Letting go

This Letter "L" post is brought to you by Jenny Pearson, co-host for the A to Z Challenge.




LEGO - if you haven’t visited Courtney’s Sketchblog you really should.
For the Challenge she is using adorable little Lego figurines as her alphabet inspiration.
Here’s a sampling…
A is for Adventure:

B is for Bike:

drop by Courtney’s Sketchblog and see the rest.


Lego played an important role in Courtney's childhood and our time together. We had Lego-mania nights with great regularity where we would dump two big buckets of Lego on the living room floor, get out two big green Lego sheets and "go for it". Our imaginations were limitless and the fun priceless.

Today, we still dump the buckets over - hence her desire to share a little Lego nostalgia for this Challenge.

_________________________________________

LOVE - one of those words I overuse when talking about my daughter (the Lego girl).
Tomorrow is her birthday, she will be twenty-five - hard to imagine - where does the time go; heck, I still feel twenty-five.
As you read this, we are on a great adventure, visiting her all-time favourite place to celebrate a quarter of a century of knowing each other!
The love I have for her knows no limits. 
_________________________________________

LETTING GO - it is hard enough living my life, making and correcting my mistakes, and finding the path I am to travel as I journey through this singular lifetime.
As a parent it is often hard letting a child flounder; struggling to finding their own way; standing on the sideline as they correct their own mistakes. 
Oddly enough letting go is the ultimate gift a parent gives their child - they will manage and they will soar on their own wings, finding the current that best pulls them to where they are meant to be.
Letting go is good. Letting go is mandatory. Letting go is trusting yourself and your wisdom. 
I can only live one life...mine. As a parent I can only act as a guide, pointing out obvious pitfalls but encouraging the exploration of the unknown, even if I am afraid of it.
Letting go is liberating. It allows me to live my life fully while embracing the wonders of the lives around me. 
I can only ever be a vicarious participant in a life that is not my own.
Now, I ask you:  Are you living your life or someone else's? Are there things you need to let go of?


* * *

And...how is it going with this Challenge - are you enjoying doing your own thing - showcasing what is your passion and joy? Are you letting go here too and having fun? I know I am!!

Enjoy the Challenge; drop by Pearson Report and say HI!

 Jenny

35 comments:

Empty Nest Insider said...

I love Courtney's creative Lego designs! Happy 25th Birthday to your daughter Jenny! Enjoy your wonderful day together! Julie

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

Happy birthday to your daughter,

Letting go is just another stage in life, you have brought your children up to the best of your ability, when the time is right they will put all you have taught them into practice.

Loved the post.
Yvonne.

Grammy said...

Loving every minute of it!
Ruby

Nick Wilford said...

I'm a sucker for anything Lego so I'll head over to Courtney's!

Yes, I'm loving the Challenge. So much different info going into my head that it's spinning!

Not at the letting go stage yet. I wonder how that will pan out.

Nick Wilford said...

Oops, forgot - Happy Birthday to your daughter! :)

J.C. Martin said...

What cute Lego pictures!

I'm happy to say that I'm living my own life at the moment, and although it may not be as comfortable or financially liberating as I would like, I love it and wouldn't change it for the world!

Absolutely LOVING the A to Z Challenge! And yes, I am blogging about my loves and passions!

J.C. Martin
A to Z Blogger

Kims4Him said...

My oldest is 26. I don't even remember 26...and that's just sad!
Letting my children grow and make their OWN mistakes has been my greatest challenge as a single parent. Amazingly, they seem to find their way despite my worrying!

Kerrie said...

Wow! I'll head on over to Courtney's.

Also leaving the link to my "L" post, if anyone's interested.

http://hereiamkaycee.blogspot.com/2012/04/letterbox-find.html

Theresa Milstein said...

Happy birthday to your daughter.

Lego has been such a big part of my children's lives. I love Legos!

A to Z is going okay. I don't have nearly enough time to comment.

Jeremy [Retro] said...

Way to go with LEGOs... I still have some ones when I was a kid. Happy Birthday to your Kid [sort of]... years move to fast.

Liberating... to the challenge "L" is for Luxurious Post!
Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]
A to Z Co-Host
My New Book:
Retro-Zombie: Art and Words

Zebsmom said...

Happy 25 to your daughter, and congrat's to you for doing a lovely job raising her!!

I have a 7 yr old, and one of my bigger jobs to do today is clean enless amounts of lego off the playroom floor. Yes I know he should be doing it, but I will help him this one time :)

As for letting go, what a difficult concept. I actually can't imagine letting go of my son right now, but I know I will when the time comes.

There are many things in my life I should let go, but have great difficulty doing so, but I can say I am working on it daily.

The A-Z challenge has been very rewarding, and has been a bridge to letting go of some things. Writing it all down and getting it out helps move it from my head to the great vast universe

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

She could do the Challenge five times over using Legos.

Unknown said...

All of your L is great
The letting go is hitting me between the eyes this week as my 2 older children were home from college - letting them go back to their life where we only talk once a week or less is hard. So your lesson in a blog was what I needed to hear - thanks from one mom to another.
enjoy the celebration tomorrow

L is for Lovely Lady

Lynn Proctor said...

letting go is usually forced on me--as people have said, i am like a pit bull----great post

Nicole said...

Wonderful 'L' post! I like LEGOs so I'm going to check out your daughter's blog for sure!

I'm living my life...I think. I've been trying to get back into the swing of that after realizing that I spent years halfway living someone else's. I also have lots of old clothing that I no longer wear so those surely need to go!

Yes, I am enjoying doing my own thing during the A to Z Challenge but more of my joy from the challenge comes from learning that readers enjoy my posts just as well.

~Nicole
Blog: The Madlab Post
@MadlabPost on Twitter

MunirGhiasuddin said...

I like the way you write about letting go.
I believe in letting my children make their own decisions and a lot of my friends do not like that. I tell them that it is not about being westernized, it is about not making a fuss over their decisions and making them feel guilty for making their own.

MunirGhiasuddin said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Love the Lego. The wee man and I can play for hours with it.

Jarm Del Boccio said...

Thanks for this thoughtful post, Jenny. I am close to the stage of letting go of my two teens...they are 16. You are right, we must trust that if we were faithful in teaching and raising them, our children will continue on the path they are going. It reminds me of a Bible verse that says: "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6
Your post is a good reminder of that...raise them well, and then let go!
MakingTheWriteConnections

S. L. Hennessy said...

LOVE Legos. I wish I still had mine...

Guilie Castillo said...

What a great post, Jenny. Happy birthday to Courtney, and congratulate her on her creativity--someone said, "a creative adult is a child who has survived", and I think that sums it up pretty well.

I'm not a mother, but I can (try to) imagine how hard it must be to let go of your child. Seems to me you're doing pretty well, though :)

cleemckenzie said...

Fear. That's what I need to let go of. Fear of failure. Fear of being hurt or rejected. Fear of the unknown. Fear of not making the right choice. I've come a long way, but I still haven't quite mastered that sneaky emotion.

Great L post!

Unknown said...

Love your L post. My kids are grown but I still have their legos, they're great, they bring out the kid in everyone! Happy birthday to your daughter.

Maryannwrites said...

What a clever approach to the Challenge by using the Lego pieces. What fun. Also really enjoyed the post about letting go. Being able to let our children find their own way in life is the hardest thing a parent can do. Our instinct is to lead them and protect them from mistakes, but we forget how we learn from mistakes.

Kern Windwraith said...

"The love I have for her knows no limits." That sums up exactly my feelings for my daughter, who is just a year younger than yours. It's an amazing experience, this motherhood business: joyful, sporadically terrifying, educational, and rewarding in ways both expected and utterly unanticipated. And, yes, learning letting go is an art. Much like writing, it takes time and practice and a few miscalculations along the way. :)

Loved your post.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Lee and Jenny ... great introductory post to Courtney - looks so much fun ..

Sadly Meccano and Lego came out once I'd got beyond being a child .. perhaps I'll get myself a set one day and give it a try!

Happy Birthday - birthday daughter and I sure hope you have a lovely lovely time celebrating each other - I know you're peas of a pod and get on so well ..

Letting go is challenging - our mother's need us as they become more inform .. and I live my mother's life to some extent - and just feel I need to continue that journey for her .. taking the opportunities and positives as I find them ..

Have a fabulous family weekend .. cheers Hilary

Arlee Bird said...

Happy Birthday to Courtney.

Nice post Jenny. My first granddaughter's last name is Lego. Guess she'll have to have a set of Legos someday.


Lee
A Faraway View
An A to Z Co-host blog

Dana said...

Happy birthday to your daughter!

Kellylou said...

Love the Legos!
And "letting go" -- eep, I could have written many, many words on that. :) I've learned many lessons on this in the past couple of years.

Yay A to Z challenge! I'm having a blast!

Anna (herding cats-burning soup) said...

Aw love the lego idea! that's fantastic :)

I'm enjoying the challenge quite a bit even the days when my "idea" turns out to be quite the mess :)

Anna@ Herding Cats & Burning Soup

Martha said...

Thanks for this wonderful post! I love your letting go advice. I think I need to apply it just a teeny bit more in my own life with my floundering young adult children.

We're playing the lottery at my place this weekend if anyone is interesting in a chance to win millions.

Here's to a great weekend! :)

Andrea said...

I am having a great time with this challenge, but mostly when I do let go. There have been moments where I am thrilled with. The creativity I have found...and other times when I get discouraged, but know there are plenty more letters, and that I should really post before 10:00p.m. I love this post of yours, and the Legos are very near and dear to me...l is for Lego!

Tina said...

I love Legos! Greatest toy EVER invented. My two boys are still major Lego fans, though video games threaten to take over from time to time.
Letting our kids go is the hardest, but hopefully, if we've done a decent job of parenting, then they won't need to suffer through all of their lessons the hard way.
Tina @ Life is Good
Co-Host of the April A to Z Challenge
Twitter: @AprilA2Z #atozchallenge

sulekkha said...

Happy birthday to Courtney. I learnt to let go when My 17 year went to live in a different city's college hostel. She is 23 in a couple of months and I still worry about her.Lovely post.

http://sulekharawat.com/2012/04/15/milestone/

Christine Rains said...

Love the Legos! That was a wonderful post. I'm still a protective mom, but my son is just turning two. I hope I can be brave and let go when I need to.