Dr. Cristina Sevadjian

Guiding Hearts Through Transition

Thu, 15 May 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Hi Covenant Friends,

As the school year ends and we usher in summer, I wanted to leave you with a few thoughts. The end of the school year is often a time of saying goodbye. Our younger students are saying goodbye to teachers they love and that have loved them. Other children may encounter big transitions from Grammar to Logic and Logic to Rhetoric, which comes with feelings of sadness and excitement. Our graduates are saying goodbye to childhood in many ways and are excited about launching into their adult-ish lives.

With these goodbyes, it is good to talk with our children about the transitions and help them understand that most moments in life come with excitement along with anxieties. You may even observe their feelings come out in the form of behaviors (younger children may have more meltdowns and in older students there may be more irritability and agitation), which is all about them processing these changes. It is helpful to normalize the feelings that come with these transitions and help them avoid pathologizing these very normal parts of life. Most people struggle with endings, so it is important to help shepherd our children’s hearts through them. The best time to talk with our older children is after they get through their exams; younger children may need more conversations and support in the moment. To help them process you may ask variations of these questions based on their age:

What did they overcome this school year? What were they most proud of?
What did they learn this year? About themselves, friends, or an important life lesson?
How did they see the Lord’s goodness to them this year? How did they see Him work in their lives?
What is one thing that they would handle differently from this year if they had a redo? Is there a mistake or a poor choice that taught them a lot this year?
Who will they miss over the summer? What teachers will they miss the most and why? What will they miss most about Grammar, Logic, or Covenant in general? What are they most excited about in a big change? What will be hardest about the change?

Shifting gears for a moment, I am encouraging all (including myself) to slow down this summer. Take time to make memories with your children. Some of my favorite memories of childhood were family trips we took together. One of our best trips with our children was a very simple trip last summer to Michigan. We loved spending time on the lake, taking easy hikes, and even climbing some sand dunes. Being in nature helped us be more mindful, enjoy each other, and even build confidence. (The kids were all surprised that they could do hard things like climb up a giant sand dune!). Wherever your summer may take you, I hope you can relish time with your family and enjoy God’s very good creation. Happy Summer!

Ending Well

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Hi Covenant Friends,

I hope you all enjoyed the Easter break, which was a nice pause in an otherwise very busy spring season! This time of year, we can often find ourselves feeling pretty worn out by the demands of our schedules and end-of-year events. It can also be a time where we find ourselves becoming frustrated that we forgot an item or event, got our schedules wrong, had a babysitter come on the wrong day, and the list could go on and on. It can feel not only overwhelming but also defeating when things naturally slip. How do we finish well, do our best, and continue to do hard things as individuals and families amidst busy schedules?

We may have an expectation that doing our best, finishing well, and doing hard things will lead to an exceptional end result. For example, in my world that would mean interacting in an exceptionally patient manner with my children and business partners, while being an outstanding psychologist, reading the Bible daily, and making a wonderfully nutritious and delicious home-cooked dinner at the end of the day. (My friends reading this will laugh knowing I don’t cook, which is kind of the point here!) We can have similar expectations for our children according to their own ages and stages such as performing well in all activities while maintaining solid grades, being obedient, and being kind or polite. In reality, my best often looks like losing my patience with someone (Greg, our children, or partners at work) along with other missteps at work and home. I wonder--is this actually finishing well and doing hard things? Is this mess really my best?

The answer is of course “Yes!” Our finishing well, doing our best, and continuing to do hard things is not about an outcome, but it is a process. It is the process of learning through missteps, mistakes, and poor planning. It looks like problem solving and coping with hard days. This process is messy, which leads to feelings of vulnerability but ultimately results in greater resiliency in ourselves and our children. My encouragement in this season is let’s keep finishing well, let’s do the hard things, and let’s try our best and encourage our children to do the same. Additionally let’s extend grace upon grace to ourselves, our children, and with one another even when it feels like we’ve missed the mark.

Building Essential Life Skills - Conflict Management

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Hi Covenant Friends,

Our children have likely now settled into the relationships with their classmates or have been experiencing the changes in those relationships over the course of the year. Challenges and conflicts between friends and peers are part of their development. This month I want to discuss a little about how to support your child in their ability to work through conflict with peers. Of course there are times as parents where we need to step in and directly help our children such as when our child is in a dangerous situation, or another child is in a dangerous situation. The focus of this article is typical conflict that occurs in relationships with others.

A major pothole that I see parents fall into is trying to resolve peer conflicts for their children. It is so tempting to fall into this trap - it can feel so easy to just call that mom or dad that you know so well, and you can work out the conflict together so easily. The result, though, is that your child does not develop appropriate skills to manage conflict.

Hundreds of children and teens that I have worked with say that conflict with a peer tends to worsen if parents are directly involved with trying to resolve it. How does this look long-term? Resident hall directors in colleges continue to share that parents are showing up in dorm rooms to help their adult sons and daughters work through conflict with their roommates. We can all agree this is not what we are shooting for as parents.

The good news is that if you stay in a supportive role, most children will develop these skills on their own. It happens over time. Each stage builds on what came before.

Below is a list of tools to assist your child manage conflict with friends at each developmental stage.

Preschool
Encourage your child to use statements that start with:

I don’t like it when (you take my toy, hit me, call me, a name).
I am sorry for or will you forgive me for (hitting you, calling you a name, taking your toys).

Elementary
Early Elementary

Ask your child to Stop and Think (this stops them from reacting), take a deep breath, and ask “how am I feeling?” (sad, mad, angry, hurt, disappointed)
Have your child use a sentence stem like “I feel__________ (sad, mad, angry, hurt, disappointed) when you __________.”
Role play with your child, stopping and thinking and then using the “I feel” statement.
If conflict happens at school, avoid calling another parent to discuss it. You only have one side of the story, and parents jumping in (with the best of intentions) can prevent the children from developing the skill of working through conflict.
Encourage your child to work through the conflict with their peer, but it might be helpful to ask their teacher when they are at an impasse.

Later Elementary

Encourage your child to continue practicing the skills above.
Encourage your child to actively listen to the peer (no interrupting) and paraphrase what the peer said. (“You felt angry because we left you out of Gaga ball.”)
At home, brainstorm ways to work with peers on solutions to problems.
Encourage them to ask a teacher to mediate if they are struggling to reach a solution.

Middle School

Encourage the use of coping tools (deep breathing, relaxation, getting energy out), so that your child can respond instead of reacting to a peer.
Work on empathy and perspective taking (understanding what it’s like to be in the other person’s shoes and why he or she may have acted in a hurtful manner).
Continue to encourage them to actively listen to the peer (no interrupting) and paraphrase what the peer said. (“You felt angry or sad when you weren’t invited to the party.”)
Support their development of communication skills (using the “I feel” statements and avoiding language that blames other people) and help them take responsibility for their part in the conflict (we all play a role!).
Help them learn to respect differences. There is more than one right way to do something or understand a situation.
Role play handling conflict with a peer using the skills above!

High School
High school students will use all the above skills and may need the following additional tools:

Encourage students to focus on the facts of the situation rather than personal opinions .
Help them be thoughtful about the language that they are using in a conflict.
Help your child approach a situation with empathy and grace, as we all are sinners and sin against one another.
Help them refocus the conversation on solutions.
Encourage self-advocacy.

Parent-School Partnership - The Covenant "Village"

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Hi Covenant Friends,

Well, January and February of this year have given us cold weather and a flu outbreak so significant the Rhetoric school had to close for two days! February can feel like a hard month in the school year. Breaks are fewer; the grind and stress of the school year have set in; and we begin to feel concerned about how our children are doing. Parenting is both overwhelming and exhausting.

Our world grows more confusing, fragmented, chaotic, and difficult. Yet we know from scientific research that strong communities raise strong children. As the old saying goes, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Fortunately, we have a village at The Covenant School!

Part of my job is helping parents choose schools based on academics, family values, and the social, emotional, and specialized learning needs of their children. This professional knowledge was a huge benefit when it was time for us to choose a school where we wanted to raise our children. I had already had a long relationship with Covenant, and one of the things I loved most was the parent-school partnership. I knew we needed a village. The parent-school partnership meant that we would have help in making sure our children’s learning was on track, that we would have help in reinforcing the message of the Gospel, that we would have help in the character development of our children, and that we would have support when our children’s lives became difficult. I needed help. This is a hard time to be a parent and a child!

Administrators and teachers invite us into a partnership built on trust, and at times, it can feel pretty vulnerable! Teachers and administrators provide feedback about our children’s learning, behavior, and character development. I struggle with perfectionism and the desire to perform well, so a meeting about my child often feels like a report card on my parenting. Of course I know this is not the intent, but I can fall into believing this lie! And still, it can be easy to become defensive, critical, and angry out of fear when I have a hard meeting at school. Yet I have had the blessing of seeing the great amount of prayer and thought that goes before any feedback is given.

As parents, we can often have strong opinions about a new school policy or a hard experience involving our children. We can quickly share our discontentment and stir others up, which can inadvertently threaten the trust in the parent-school partnership.

The Covenant School, like anywhere else, is an imperfect place filled with imperfect people. However, it is a village firmly rooted in the Gospel of Christ, which is preached and lived each day. What hope and light is in our world! I want to encourage us all to lean in and trust that parent-school partnership, even when it is difficult. I have been personally encouraged by this partnership this year. If you are in a season where the partnership feels hard, I encourage you to work on that parent-school partnership. Your child will benefit from a strong village of support. If you have reaped the benefit of that partnership, encourage your administrators and teachers this month. Tell them how they have positively impacted you and your child.

My prayer is that we can labor together, persevering even when the difficult seasons inevitably come, knowing in the end, we all need a village.

Beyond Academics: Preparing Students for Life's Challenges

Thu, 30 Jan 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Hi Covenant Friends,

It finally feels like we've fully entered the spring semester after the holidays, ice days, and Monday breaks. I’m sure many of you feel the same! Today, I want to talk about a topic that has been on my mind a lot lately.

When I meet new people and explain that I’m a child and adolescent psychologist, I often get a predictable question: “What trends are you seeing in children today?” It’s a great question, and because I’m passionate about my work, I love answering it. Today, I want to share my current response.

My deepest concern for the upcoming generation is that we are not preparing them as well as we could for life. At Sparrow House, my colleagues and I frequently work with college students who struggle with the social, emotional, and life skills needed for adulthood. As a culture, we place a strong emphasis on getting them into the “right” colleges—which varies by family. In pursuit of this goal, we can focus heavily on GPA, advanced classes, SAT/ACT tutoring, and extracurricular activities to build résumés.

While none of these pursuits are inherently problematic, an overemphasis on them often leads to other essential skills being neglected. In my 20+ years as a psychologist (I know, I’m dating myself here), I’ve worked with hundreds of adolescents. Time and again, I hear college students say they feel overprepared academically. Many are even disappointed, describing college as “so easy.” There is almost a disillusionment that comes along with that statement, and these are young adults attending state schools, private colleges, and Ivy League colleges. In summary, they are academically overprepared but underprepared in social, emotional, and life skills, leading to significant struggles in various aspects of life.

So what does this mean for us? We need a slight shift in our approach—one that begins early. This shift can’t happen just a year or two before college; that’s not enough time for the necessary development to take place. However, it’s never too late to start. I could write volumes on this topic, but for now, I’ll summarize the key areas where we should allow greater independence while offering support:

Solving practical problems
Resolving conflicts with peers
Developing coping skills for life’s challenges
Talking with adults (teachers, coaches) independently
Engaging in household chores
Taking on difficult tasks
Holding summer jobs with non-family employers

Often, we handle these tasks for our children so they can focus more on academics, sports, and extracurriculars—activities we believe will help them get into college or lead to a better life. But in doing so, we may be unintentionally holding them back from developing critical life skills.

A timely example of this in our community is Declamation. Last week, in the Covenant Copy, Melissa Hill did a fantastic job outlining the many academic benefits of Declamation. I want to highlight how it also relates to our topic at hand. Declamation allows our children to learn how to cope with stress and some positive anxiety that comes with performance—something they will encounter throughout life. It also helps them develop resilience, as they may not always get the results they hope for despite hard work and effort. Additionally, it encourages problem-solving as they figure out how to prepare for a challenge.

Beyond personal growth, it provides valuable social lessons, teaching children how to celebrate a friend’s success, even when they didn’t perform as well as they hoped. For parents, it gives us the opportunity to support our children through stress without immediately stepping in to fix it for them.

In the midst of this busy parenting season, my prayer is that we can assist our children grow through these experiences. By allowing them to work through challenges, they will come out the other side with greater confidence and competence—skills that will serve them for a lifetime.

Christmas Gifts and the Spirit of Christmas

Wed, 11 Dec 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Hi Covenant Friends,

As I am writing to you, I am sitting on my couch looking at my Christmas tree. I love my Christmas tree this year, because I let my kiddos decorate it. I can assure you it is not perfect, but I loved it because they decorated it as a gift to me. We hosted both sides of our family at our home for Thanksgiving, which is a lot of people and a lot of people under the age of six! Then, a week later, we hosted my work Christmas party at our home; again, such a joy to have some of my very favorite people at my home with their significant others and again not a small group! I was feeling like many of you, tired and unsure how I could pull it all off. My kiddos decorating the tree was such a great gift because it was something off my list, which in my world is one of the best gifts to receive!

As I continued reflecting on my gift, I thought about the origin of Christmas and gift-giving. Jesus was of course the greatest gift of all that arrived on Christmas day! It was a gift that was free, undeserved, and with no strings attached. In many ways, my children decorating my tree was that kind of gift to me. In a frenzied season, the holidays, it can be easy to lack the mindfulness that we would want to have in gift-giving for our children. I mention this because I know if you have a child a gift with screens or a phone might be at the very top of their list. Not only is it probably at the top of their list, but they are also likely to tell you that every other parent will be giving their child a phone for Christmas—and they will be so convincing! We want so much to make our children happy, particularly at Christmas. What do we do?

When we give our children cell phones, that gift cannot reflect the true purpose behind a Christmas gift. Unlike the gifts of God’s grace, screens and cell phones require rules and restrictions; they must, in a sense, be earned. They come with lots of strings attached, and they will be taken away at times. A child who gets a cell phone for Christmas cannot truly call that gift his or her own.

When I am working with parents and tweens or teens, I often encourage parents not to give phones for a birthday or Christmas gift. There needs to be a plan for phone use, with restrictions that are discussed in advance. When can the phone/iPad be used? Where in the house can it be used? What is the curfew for the devices? Where will it be parked when not in use—especially during homework time? What happens when a rule is violated? What habits do we want to instill in our family’s use of devices? These types of conversations are necessary and critical; however, they are typically not the most fun or joyful conversations with a tween or teen on Christmas morning.

Instead, I encourage parents to wait. Jonathan Haidt’s guidelines to wait until high school to give your children cell phones or smart devices is based on some good research. I acknowledge, of course, that every child and family has different needs; so, whenever it is the right time to provide your child with a phone and all the responsibilities that come with it, have all the conversations and establish a plan before providing the device to your child.

Finally, I think it is helpful for them not to view it as a “gift” or “their property,” because the time will come when you must take the device away or restrict its usage as they learn how to be responsible.

Instead, this Christmas, I think it would be amazing to choose a gift or experience that brings true joy to your child and your family. One that you can give freely, without strings attached, to represent the true meaning of Christmas. When introducing a phone or a device, make it what it is: a tool, a responsibility, and something to manage. Introduce a cell phone thoughtfully on a Sunday afternoon when you have the time to map out a family plan of how to support your child with this great responsibility. In my past November article, I provided some resources to help with family plans around devices, so please reference that for more information. As a community as we continue to talk about technology and our children, my prayer is that we would be wise, prudent, and prayerful. As I sign off for 2024, I want to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas!

Parenting in the Age of Social Media

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Hi Covenant Friends,

I wanted this month to continue talking about parenting. I was just thinking the other day that it is the most humbling position that I have ever had! Although assisting with parenting is my profession and passion, I still sometimes feel unequipped for the things that come my way with my own children. Last month, we talked about years of research in parenting that support Biblical guidance on critical aspects of parenting. First of all, it is important to build a loving, trusting and nurturing relationship with our children. This part is intuitive to us. Next, we can reinforce from the earliest of ages that our choices have consequences, and we must provide consistent consequences because we love our children. It is also important to establish age-appropriate boundaries for our children, so that they have a greater ability to make wise choices.

Last month, we applied these concepts to younger children. Today, we are going to be talking about teenagers and social media. There are entire books written on the topic, so there is so much information that is beyond the scope of our discussion. I do want to provide some information that might help guide thoughts and discussions on this complex topic.

We know from research in brain development, and from data on the intent and the design of social media platforms, that social media is a very hard place to make good choices. The teenage brain is still developing the skills related to future thinking and logical problem solving, which are all needed in smart social media use. Teens are also learning more about the complexities of relationships, emotional nuance, and developing their morals and value systems. For these reasons and others, Jonathan Haidt in The Anxious Generation recommends delaying social media use to 16 years old. I believe this is a generally helpful recommendation.

It is important when social media is introduced to establish a plan that outlines responsibilities, accountability, device curfews, and safe online behavior (again, using clear boundaries and consistent consequences). Boston Children’s Hospital has wonderful digital wellness materials to help families discuss social media use and create a plan. Screenwell, a group of local psychologists, can also help with these types of plans. However, it is important to acknowledge that the consequences for social media mistakes may not come from you. In fact, most likely they will come from far-reaching peer groups and future employers. Our children will likely push for more freedom than they are equipped to handle. As loving, thoughtful, wise, and discerning parents, we can let our children know we love them very much and that when they reach adulthood, they will make all their own decisions regarding their relationships with technology; however, until then we want to provide them with the support they need to make wise decisions.

The analogy I like to use with teens and parents alike is we are all going to bumper bowl. Bumper bowling allows you to learn to bowl while adding some safeguards for yourself and others bowling near you. The goal in bumper bowling is that you will learn to bowl independently, not that you will bumper bowl forever. I have had honest conversations with many teenagers. They know that they are struggling with their phones and social media use, but they often have difficulty admitting how much they are struggling. Phones, technology, and social media are here to stay; however, we can help our children develop a healthier relationship with technology. In my office, we find that many families have the most conflict with their teenagers over technology/social media use. A stance that I think can be helpful from a parent is being curious. You can be curious about their use of technology (how, when, what, why) to help them think critically about the information that they are digesting. In summary, my hope and prayer is that as a school community we can encourage each other in our parenting knowing that although we may not be struggling today our time will come and we will need the support of this community.

Parenting Through Poor Choices

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 04:00:00 +0000

Hi Covenant Friends,

This month, I want to talk about a topic that is near and dear to all our hearts: parenting. First, let me state the obvious: parenting is hard. It is the hardest and most rewarding job any of us will ever have, with moments of the greatest joy and the greatest sadness we may ever experience. There is also so much information available these days on parenting, and a lot of trendy advice with no real support in data or research. The risk in following trendy advice is that these new and untested practices will impact the lives of our children, and we will not fully understand the consequences until many years later. The sheer volume of parenting information leaves us all wondering, “Wait—what am I supposed to be doing? Am I validating feelings, giving consequences, do I need a time out, what am I doing?” I am consistently humbled in my role as mom to my three children.

I want to address one of the biggest lies in all of parenting: If I am a good parent and do all the right things, my child will not struggle much or make poor choices. I write this because all of us are giving parenting our all, and it can be extremely disheartening when we get a phone call about a poor choice, a consistent struggle, or a new diagnosis (medical, learning, or emotional health). All of our children will struggle, and all of our children will make poor choices—even if we do everything perfectly, which we cannot do. Our children, like us, have a sin nature. They will make poor choices, even at the youngest of ages. This struggle is important for our children, but it can be painful for us to watch. So what do we do? How do we actually love and support our children through struggle and poor choices?

Thankfully, years of research in parenting that support Biblical truth provide some answers. First of all, it is important to build a loving, trusting and nurturing relationship with our children. (This part is intuitive to us.) Next, we must reinforce from the earliest of ages that our choices have consequences, and we must provide consistent consequences because we love our children. We also must establish age-appropriate boundaries for our children, so that they have a greater ability to make wise choices.

Let’s apply these concepts of consequences and boundaries to a topic we have been leaning into as a school community: screens, phones, and social media. For younger children, a lot of our boundaries come from our own modeling of technology use along with talking to our children about where (in public areas of our home), when (we have parental permission/supervision), and how we use screens (in approved ways). When we introduce phones we can again use where, when, and how rules and consequences for what happens when boundaries are broken. We can expect that the rules will be broken as children are testing the boundaries and rules. We as parents will provide the consistent feedback of consequences. A phone agreement or contract can be helpful in outlining the responsibilities of having a phone along with graduated responsibilities with the phone like introduction of apps and internet capability.

Next month I would love to continue the conversation on technology to expand on some of the ideas that we just scratched the surface on this month. In particular, I want to discuss social media use and how boundaries/consequences are applied to that aspect of technology use. I know for many of us we did not grow up with these types of technologies, so helping our children navigate them can feel overwhelming. My hope is that as you read and explore these topics with me you feel hopeful and encouraged as a parent.

The Anxious Generation

Mon, 16 Sep 2024 04:00:00 +0000

Hi Covenant Friends,

I hope you and your families have had a wonderful summer! I know the start of the school year can feel like a jolt to the system after lots of unstructured time with fewer constraints on your schedule. This year, I have a new Covenant Explorer. Coming off the summer felt a little like playing bumper cars with me feeling a little like, “wait, what is hitting me now?!” For some parents, though, the start of the fall might feel like a time of getting back to a welcome routine in family life. Wherever you may find yourself on the spectrum, I hope you and your students are settling back into school life.

In my current season of life, I do not get to read as many books as I would like, so I often have to prioritize my reading. Last spring I found myself anxiously awaiting the release of The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. I eagerly preordered it on Amazon totally committed to reading it this past March. Well, then life happened and this summer I was so thankful for a 6-hour flight delay with no children as I read most of the book on that hot tarmac in Phoenix in July. This book was so thought-provoking that our office ended up doing a summer book discussion on it. If you find yourself in a similar season of life as mine, I encourage you to read, listen, or read the end of chapter summaries from this book. If you are concerned about technology and your child, currently or in the future, this book is for you.

Haidt uses compelling data to explain the unprecedented rise in mental health concerns in teens over the past several years. His central claim is that “two trends—overprotection in the real world and under protection in the virtual world—are the major reasons why children born after 1995 became the anxious generation.” He provides thorough data to support his claims, and he offers simple, thoughtful, and practical solutions.

There are two profoundly interesting aspects of this book to me. First, while Haidt is not a Christian, he highlights spiritual degradation as part of the problem with the anxious generation. And second, he insists that these problems require collective action: we as a community need to come together to solve these problems.

With all of that being said, I want to invite every parent from Grammar to Rhetoric School to join me, Dr. Hillary Lewis (a pediatrician in our community), and other panelists at Project Standfast on September 26 as we discuss how the Covenant community can best support our children learning what we have through this book.

Managing Stress and Enter into Rest

Tue, 14 May 2024 04:00:00 +0000

Hi Friends,

As the school year comes to a close and we usher in summer, I wanted to leave you with a few thoughts. The end of the school year is a lot for parents and our children! Many children who do not normally struggle with worry or fear now worry about end-of-year exams, even if their grades “do not technically count.” It can feel overwhelming to try and remember so much information, and our children have high standards for themselves.

Parents often seek ways to support their children during times of higher stress. Here are a few reminders of tools to use with your children:

Check-in with them. How are they coping with stress? Are they feeling overwhelmed? (Learning to cope with stress is so important!)
Provide reassurance that stress during finals is normal and will resolve when exams end.
Encourage them to eat well, get sleep, sit outside, and take breaks.
Check in on their expectations of themselves. What are their goals? Are they too high and/or unrealistic? If so, then help them get to a more realistic place.
If you have a child that strives to do well, try to not add pressure as parents (they are putting enough of it on themselves!). This means not asking a lot of questions related to grades or saying “do you really want an 89 in that class?” You have the best intentions, but adding pressure with these types of children actually leads to a decrease in their performance.

Now I’ll shift gears for a moment - I encourage all (including myself) to slow down this summer. Many of us find our family life hurried and heavily scheduled. While this can feel unavoidable, take the summer to move slower, have more family meals/discussions, and allow children more time to be creative. Take time to make memories with your children. Some of my favorite memories of childhood were family trips we took together! Take time to pick the flowers, listen to the rain, and enjoy the trees blowing in the breeze. This type of mindfulness helps us to enjoy the Lord’s creation and refocus on what is truly important in our lives. All of that to say, my prayer for myself and our community is to have a restful, fun, and enjoyable summer spending time with the people we love! Happy Summer!