Dear Friend,

Last weekend I tagged along with my hubby for his work conference in Orlando. The hotel was like its own little beachy village and had beautiful details all around the property.

I spent Saturday morning on a comfy couch near the lobby catching up my calendar and emails. When I looked up I saw the brightest, most colorful mural of herons.

I’m not sure how I missed this wall as I was finding a place for coffee and calendaring, but once I noticed it, I was intrigued by the detail the artist made with the feathers… layers and layers and layers of feathers. I wondered about the time it took to apply these individual paint strokes to portray the texture of a birds coating. I wondered about the shape and size of the feathers that was painted on each bird. I wondered…

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When I get curious about something, I tend to deep dive for a bit to find out more. A quick bit of research taught me things I never knew about birds: the variety of feathers a bird has, along with the way they are layered, serves a purpose.

Did you know…

The underneath feathers, the down, keeps the birds warm. It makes sense that we use this for bedding and pillows.

The outer feathers provide protection from both weather (water) and things that might cut or scrape the skin. Have you ever held a bird feather? They do have a weird strength in such a delicate way.

And the way bird feathers layer together, making a smooth, interlocking structure, is crucial for flight. We never see birds with crazy, messed up feathers flying through the sky, do we? Their feathers lay neatly and smoothly along their bodies.

So after I sat with my new found knowledge of feathers for a time, I started envisioning how our words to others can be a lot like these bird feathers.

This fall semester I’ve made time to write several letters to each of our girls. They are all spreading their wings (no pun intended here) as they start college, get ready to graduate college, join the working world, and leave the working world to embrace the new beginnings of grad school.

With every letter I write, it’s a little like the feathers of a bird. The words I send to my girls encourage and affirm their gifts and abilities… reminding each girl of the strengths they offer. These words are warmth in a busy, competitive, and often chaotic world they are each trying to navigate. And let’s be honest, mama’s words protect, too, by being reminders of the fierceness and capabilities our children possess. Negativity tries to tear them down… but the wisdom and guidance we can offer protect those potential wounds.

Letter after letter… word after word… they are layers I share with each daughter of mine. These layers build on each other, interlocking together, and strengthen each of my daughters’ ability to continue making their way.

Who do you know taking flight in the world? Who could you begin a series of letters to that would layer warmth and protection like the feathers of a bird?

If you didn’t download last week, I’ll attach some autumn-themed stationery pages below. Simply print, write, and let your words take flight in someone’s life.

Happy Writing!

❤️ Jill

Autumn stationery sheets.pdf.pdf

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