Friends,

It’s been a whirlwind of a couple of weeks – holy moly! Between graduation and family being in town, I find myself overwhelmed and delighted all at the same time. If you didn’t see the letter to my daughter or the newsletter on finding joy, you should check those out for context. I’ve had family in town the past two weekends and we hosted a beautiful graduation celebration for my daughter. For her to be delighted in so incredibly was awesome to see! 

But of all the things, you know what I’m ruminating on as I write this? All of the flowers. Of all the things with which to concern myself! If you know me, you know I hate waste. I save tissue paper, recycle holiday cards, hold onto boxes for future events – all the things. My family barely tolerates this level of obsessiveness. So, as we decorated, celebrated and received gifts this past weekend, we have, no less than 20 vases of flowers! They’re beautiful and overflowing! So, the day after the party, I was searching for nursing homes or other space that might enjoy all of these floral arrangements so they weren’t “wasted.” How would I transport these? Who would accept them? The amount of energy and brain space I was using to solve this problem was ridiculous. 

And then my sister-in-law said to me, “Why don’t you just enjoy them?” And she began spreading them out all over my house. Soon windowsills, fireplace mantels, and counters reflected the joy and care that went into my daughter’s celebration. Now, everywhere I look, I’m reminded of the help of family, kindness of friends and generosity of our village that took part in this milestone. In my attempt to do things “the right way” I missed out on an opportunity for continued joy. 

I guess what I’m saying is that I need practice too. Practice sitting with joy. And, practice allowing myself to be present with joy vs. running onto the next project, event or judging myself for simply reveling in the beauty and work of the past few weeks. We don’t always have to be performing, creating or doing to be valuable. 

So, there the flowers sit – beautifully soaking up sunshine in windows and on sills. 

And here I sit, feeling grateful for their beauty, what they represent and the accomplishment of the past weeks. 

I hope as you look for joy in your life, you don’t simply acknowledge it, but allow yourself to sit there for just a bit.