Dolly's Sharing

To My Beloved Children 🧡

As I was watching a movie on parenting, it brought back a flood of memories I had long tucked away. It is strange how something so simple can unlock doors in the heart that time had gently closed. I was taken back to those years when my children were still in school, and life revolved around small routines that felt so ordinary then, but now feel deeply precious in hindsight.

I remembered how I used to personalise their stationery by writing the abbreviations of their names on each item. It was a small way of making sure nothing got lost, but also a quiet expression of something uniquely theirs in a world full of shared things. The subject names were also written on the edges of their textbooks so that when the books were placed upright in their schoolbags, they could easily recognise and pull out the right one without having to search through them one by one. At that time, it felt like a practical little system. Now it has become a cherished memory of love quietly expressed in the simplest, most unnoticed ways.

There were also little handwritten notes, from time to time, that awaited them in the mornings or were slipped into their pencil cases – surprise messages, gentle reminders, and words of encouragement. Those small acts were done with quiet joy, knowing how delighted they would be to discover the hidden surprises. It is said that the joy of the Lord is our strength; in those days, the joy of my children was my strength. Their smiles, their excitement, and their achievements filled my heart in a way nothing else could.

How quickly time slips away. Those were the days when I was their whole world, and they were mine. My daughter was my sunshine, brightening even the most ordinary days, while my son was my little hero, strong and full of wonder in my eyes. And the three of us were a little world bound together by love, joy, and the simple rhythm of everyday life – so complete and so beautiful in the comforting closeness of simply being together.

Back then, I did not realise that these ordinary days were the very moments that would one day become treasures in my heart. I thought there would always be more time – more bedtime talks, more little hands reaching for mine. But life moves gently and quietly forward, and before we know it, children grow, seasons change, and the days we once lived so naturally become memories we revisit with both gratitude and longing.

Yet when I look back now, my heart is full. For love was woven into those years in countless unseen ways – shared between us in different expressions – in the notes tucked into pencil cases, the names written on stationery, the prayers whispered, the hugs given freely, and the countless little sacrifices made without a second thought – each of us giving and receiving in our own way. Those moments may have seemed small then, but together they formed a beautiful life, one that will always remain deeply etched in my heart.

The Lord has truly been gracious to us, blessing our family with a bond that remains strong through every season of life. Looking back, I can see how every small act, every simple routine, and every quiet moment of care was lovingly woven together by His hand into something far greater than I understood at the time. Even as time moves on and life changes, the connection we share continues to hold us close, reminding me that we were never simply going through daily life on our own, but were being lovingly guided and blessed along the way.

It is in this awareness of His hand over our lives that I have come to anchor myself in a deeper truth – the joy of the Lord is my strength (Nehemiah 8:10). This truth has carried me through every season, especially during the bittersweet journey of learning to let go of my children as they grew older. Yet the process became easier knowing that I was not releasing them into the world alone, but learning to let go and let God take over.

Indeed, His strength and grace have sustained me through motherhood, through the passing years, and even through the changes that time inevitably brings. What I once experienced as simple moments with my children has now become a deeper testimony of God’s faithfulness. All of it speaks to me of a love that He had been nurturing within our family all along, and for that I remain forever grateful to Him.