Simply Jaimie

Back-to-school season means new teachers, new classrooms, new friends, and plenty of freshly sharpened pencils. And one of the very first things our children will share as they walk into those classrooms is something they've carried with them since the beginning, their name. They'll write it across the top of their papers. They'll hear it called during attendance. They'll introduce themselves to new friends. Their name might be printed on their desk, cubby, folder, or backpack. But behind every name is a story. Maybe they were named after a grandparent. Maybe their name reflects their family's culture or heritage. Maybe their parents simply heard the name years ago and loved it. Whatever the reason, the story of a name is often one of the very first pieces of family history a child can claim as their own. This back-to-school season, these six children's books offer a wonderful opportunity to talk with our children about the names they carry and the stories, ...

 Unexpected Friends There is a verse in Job that I can't stop thinking about. After experiencing tremendous hardship and trying to make sense of everything that has happened to him, Job says, "Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book!" (Job 19:23). And they were. Thousands of years later, we are still reading Job's words. We know about his faith, his questions, his conversations with friends, and the difficult things he experienced. Most importantly, we have his powerful declaration of faith: "For I know that my redeemer liveth" (Job 19:25). It made me wonder: What if Job's words hadn't been written? If all we had was Job's genealogy, we might know his name, where he lived, that he had children, and that he lived to an old age. We would know that Job lived, but we wouldn't really know Job. More Than Names and Dates This is one of the reasons I love family history. Names, dates, and places are important. They help...

Where is God? There is something unusual about the book of Esther. God is never explicitly mentioned. There is no dramatic appearance from an angel. No prophet delivering a message from the Lord. No voice from heaven telling Esther what she should do next. And yet, when you read Esther's story, it is difficult not to see the hand of the Lord throughout it. Esther just happens to become queen. Mordecai just happens to overhear a plot against the king. His good deed just happens to be recorded. The king just happens to be unable to sleep on the very night he needs to be reminded of what Mordecai had done. Again and again, circumstances come together at exactly the right time. God may not be named in Esther's story, but His hand can be seen throughout it. And I wonder how often the same is true of our own family stories. I think about my Nan. Toward the end of her life, she was able to fly from England to spend Christmas with our family. At the time, we couldn't have known tha...

Have you ever driven past a house and wondered about the people who once lived there? Who celebrated birthdays in the dining room? Who learned to ride a bicycle in the front yard? Who stood at the window waiting for someone they loved to come home? Houses quietly witness the stories of generations. The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton reminds us that while neighborhoods may change, the memories created within a home can last a lifetime. Built in the countryside, a little house is surrounded by rolling hills, blooming apple trees, and changing seasons. She happily watches families come and go, enjoying the peaceful rhythm of country life. As the years pass, the world around her changes. Roads are built, buildings rise, and the quiet countryside slowly becomes a busy city. Although everything around her is transformed, the little house never forgets where she belongs. Eventually, she is lovingly moved back to the countryside, where she once again finds peace among the fields and c...

 Some of my favorite childhood memories include my cousins. They were the people who made ordinary family gatherings unforgettable. We laughed until our stomachs hurt, stayed up far too late, created inside jokes only we understood, and made memories that still make us smile years later. While our lives may have taken us in different directions, we share something no one else does—we remember the same people, the same places, and many of the same stories. That's one of the beautiful things about cousins. They often remember details we have forgotten. They can tell a story from a completely different perspective or fill in pieces of our family history that would otherwise be lost. Family history isn't only found in old records and photographs. Sometimes it's waiting in a conversation with someone who grew up right alongside you. These 25 questions are designed to help you reconnect with your cousins, preserve your shared memories, and uncover stories that deserve to be passe...

What is your favorite memory with one of your cousins? Today is my cousin's birthday! Although we live on different continents now, I still loved seeing photos of his birthday celebration pop up on social media. Distance may change how often we see the people we love, but it doesn't change the memories we've shared or the place they hold in our family story. Reading Summer Is for Cousins reminded me that some of the best family memories aren't made during big events. They're made on ordinary summer days—playing games, eating meals together, staying up too late, and simply enjoying one another's company. Those moments might seem small at the time, but they often become the stories we carry with us for a lifetime. When I was visiting my family in England, my cousin, aunt, niece, and I went to see Tangled at the cinema. While we were waiting for my aunt and niece to come out of the restroom, I decided it would be funny to walk down the escalator that was going ...

Every family has traditions that become part of who they are. Some happen every Christmas. Others happen every Sunday afternoon. And some are so ordinary that we don't realize how meaningful they are until they're no longer part of our routine. Those traditions become more than things we do. They become the way we remember the people we love. Bread Days by Hannah Chung is a beautiful reminder that even after someone is gone, the traditions they began can continue to bring comfort, connection, and joy. Nara looks forward to bread days with her Papa more than anything. Together they mix, fold, score, and bake fresh sourdough, filling their home with warmth, conversation, and anticipation as they wait for the loaf to rise. When Papa dies, bread days come to an unexpected end. The kitchen feels quiet, and the familiar routine that once brought so much happiness now reminds Nara of everything she misses. But as she begins caring for the sourdough starter she and Papa created to...