A tiny bee in a big world <3

"There are two lasting bequests we can give our children. One is roots. The other is wings."-- Hodding Carter
 

Chances are pretty good that if you are reading this blog post, you have a child, or will soon.  The time, the energy, the strength... every single day amounts of all three you never knew existed will be needed to make this tiny person a happy and healthy member of our world. The challenge of incorporating multiple lessons into one activity is always present, as the only way to accomplish everything in one day is by overlapping things. Doing homework while making dinner, coloring pictures while chatting about the day, grabbing dinner on the road to get to a planned event.

As a mom of several children, one way I found to recharge my energy levels, and have a quiet moment with my little ones during the day or at the end of the day, was through reading to them. Many of you have started this tradition while pregnant, the importance of connecting with this new life means reaching out before we can even hold them. Reading provides an excellent opportunity to connect, to teach, to engage, to snuggle. All of these memories that you will build, one book at a time, that also serves to stimulate their mind and create the desire for them to continue well after they can read themselves. Study after study shows reading produces higher grades, lower stress levels, and connects those neural pathways crucial to deep thinking and problem solving.

All of those amazing things going on as a byproduct of something that is actually fun and enjoyable? Sign me up!
Because of all of these fantastic benefits, reading is very important in our house. After thousands of hours with my children spent curled up with a book, my mind became engrossed with what kind of stories I would write for them. So many ideas, so many characters, so many story lines that would make some fantastic stories for their little minds to take in.

When the idea for the "Rory" series started to form earlier this year, I could not contain my excitement. 

A brave little bee

A need for adventure

Nervous about leaving home

Yearning to meet new friends

A desire to stay connected to his family

I think many of us can connect to at least one of those ideas, if not several, and that was important to me to bring out in this simple story. 

Our quote we opened this post with comes to light in this story. As you read it to your child, I hope it touches your heart. We want our children to fly, but we also want them to know we are *always* here for them. I hope you all love the story as much as we do!