The past few months have felt like Groundhog Day for many of us, but despite the day-to-day repetition of our new routines, another summer has come and gone and we’re already on the heels of both Labor Day and Grandparent’s Day – can you believe it? That’s the funny thing about change – somehow it happens both slowly and in the blink of an eye. As we prepare for the upcoming equinox, I’ve been reflecting on the different seasons of life, and how much I love helping people as they embark on new chapters in their lives.

Pictured from left to right are Mama Shirley and Collen Ashe in March, 2020.

Pictured from left to right are Mama Shirley and Collen Ashe in March, 2020.

Many years ago, Shirley Langlois or, as we affectionately call her, “Mama Shirley,” served as my daughter Kristen’s daycare provider. She cared for Kristen from the time she was six months old until she began kindergarten and made a significant impact on our lives. Serendipitously, I was able to play a special role in Shirley’s life when she became a client of Ashe Organizing Solutions earlier this year.

Little did we know what the rest of 2020 would bring when we began working together in January, but I’m so happy that I was able to assist Shirley and her husband, Herb, as they prepared to move to their new home, in a beautiful community in the Hudson Valley. They entrusted me with their most precious belongings as they embraced a new season in their lives, just as I had allowed Shirley to care for my most precious baby girl when I was a first-time parent.

The house that Mama Shirley built still stands and continues to provide TLC to our newest community members through Child Care by Valerie… take a peek!

Photo of Kristen Ashe at Mama Shirley's as a child.

Photo of Kristen Ashe at Mama Shirley’s as a child.

If your heart hasn’t already grown three sizes reading this, I’m excited to share that Kristen will be married to her fiancé, Patrick, later this week at a beautiful and historical church in Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love. One day I was dropping her off at Mama Shirley’s and then I blinked, and here we are, so many years later, anticipating this joyous milestone in her life.

Seasons change but I promise you, so much goodness lies ahead.