Caitlin nominated her dear friend Melissa for a Love Letter Bundle this past May. Earlier in the year, Melissa had moved across the country to Chicago for a new job after spending the past decade in Los Angeles. One major factor in saying yes to such a big decision was the appeal of being closer to family. Then in March, Melissa lost her father to his extended battle with cancer. He had survived well past his initial prognoses, but his passing was very sudden. You all SHOWED UP for her - and it meant the world.

When you find yourself succumbing to the lie that wellness is not possible, that you have no way out of all the despair, know this: you are not alone in your battle, and you are worth fighting for. Asking for help is not weakness, it is strength in itself. Find your life raft. I promise it’s there. Depression doesn’t have to win.

The contrast between the quiet of the cottage– the only sound coming from birdsong and the odd indignant-sounding sheep’s bleat– and the constant, scratching noise inside my head was stark. It had been a particularly bleak week for news, after a particularly grim couple of years; I felt exhausted, and powerless. I looked at my laptop and my notebook, at my optimistic plans for this precious time, and felt a sudden jolt of clarity, borne simply out of bone-deep weariness, a begrudging admission that things could not continue this way, and a willingness to surrender accordingly. This endless scrolling, this constant consumption of information: it had to stop. I had to stop.

Thankfully, I can recognize when plans need to change. I don't often push through to complete things at the expense of health, sanity, and pleasure. But I often mourn my original plans much longer than necessary. I think "If only.... If only.... If only…," and it's really not very helpful. I linger on the things I miss out on instead of seeing what’s next. When I was frustrated with my fretting on that too-hot day, I looked at my kids, and my jaw nearly dropped out how swiftly and easily they adapted to the new situation. How did they do that? What's the difference between them and me?

On the surface, toxic positivity can appear benign. Shouldn’t we encourage moving past pain? Toxic positivity, however, is not about healing as much as it is about denial– a refusal to acknowledge experience as it actually is, in favor of a more sanitized, palatable version of reality that doesn't require sustained attention or effort to manage.

Deconstruction is quite terrifying, actually. You find yourself in a strange land where all the things you’ve ever known (and parroted) about “backsliding” or “losing your salvation” play out like the preview to the most terrifying psychological thriller, on repeat. You’ve shed the layers of who you used to be, and you can’t step back into that person, but you really wish you could, because it would be so much easier. Add in the voices of those who are “concerned.” These voices are loud, and they want nothing more than for you just to conform.

In May, we collected love letters for Matthew— a 12-year-old boy who has done a lot of growing up in the past year. With his older brother battling cancer, Matthew has been holding down the fort at home. Matthew received more than 300 letters, 25 packages, and 5 letters from around the world including....(drum roll)...Italy, Ireland, Germany, New Zealand, Canada, and the Philippines.

Here’s a non-exhaustive list of how you can show up for a friend who has experienced

pregnancy loss (or how to ask your friends to show up for you):

Here are a few simple acts to try to love on people when gift-giving is your love language, but you want to avoid giving any more material things to your loved ones:

I had to decide, consciously, that my home was where I was going to focus my time, energy, and attention. (And this is my decision — you, dear reader, may disagree and choose a different path.) Since my kids need someone to be available for them all the time and just in case — why shouldn’t it be me?

When my sister ́s letter request was posted in February, I was jittery with excitement. But I didn’t actually realize what was happening until I got the first letter out of our mailbox.

In a culture that seeks to escape work with all they’ve got (and truthfully, that used to be my goal too), God says work is good - it's holy.

I’m no travel guru and won’t pretend to be able to give you my top 10 travel tips, but I will share with you some stories, hopefully inspiring you in your own journeys.

We know from the concept of love languages--five ways we all give and receive love as identified by Dr. Gary Chapman--that certain actions and words mean more to some of us than others. In the same way, with any non-romantic relationships, friendships, or family in your life, we can take the time to show kindness in a way that resonates more deeply. As you take time to contemplate what this might mean for the person in your life, here are three questions to ask yourself to lead you towards discovering the kindness-spreading magic.

Perhaps the new normal even changes frequently. Life is different. It’s terrifying; it's anxiety-provoking. But it’s also beautiful. Precious moments and memories await you. It will be wonderful, it will be hard, but it will also be rewarding.

Most of the time when I read I want to escape: to go on an adventure, to be thrilled and satisfied. Other times (and I am often unaware of this craving), I need a book that makes me think--a book that perhaps asks more questions than it answers, but nevertheless has me feeling better about what I don’t know.

This is a list of those types of books. Thoughtful books. Books that are calm and comforting amidst chaos and confusion. Books that get readers thinking differently, yet don’t ask too much of them. Mindful books. Not books about mindfulness or its practice, but rather books that practice at being mindful.

It is a sad truth that many people today feel lonely, and a global pandemic has not helped. How do we reach out to those we know who are lonely? Obviously, you could write them a letter (you were expecting that on this blog, weren’t you?!), but here are some additional practical and creative ways to let them know you are thinking of them, that they are important, and that they are loved.

What would happen though, if instead of looking at our feet, waiting for the next thing to run us over, we trusted our balance. We trusted that we can remain steady, and that if we fall, we will still be ok. And even if we aren’t ok--we will get there.

For years I have held onto this idea of authenticity, of growing in my own self-awareness and self-acceptance, recognizing I have something good to offer the world as myself. No need for pretenses or performances or mirages. If I am to be accepted, it should be as myself, not a caricature of how I wish to be perceived.

What do we remember about ourselves, when we surround ourselves with these tiny joys? As we move a thumb idly over the sea-smoothed surface of a shell, what, or whom, do we reconnect with?