This past weekend we had Friendsgiving with some cherished friends.  It’s a tradition we started four years ago, and this year, because of the always complicated schedules, we met for breakfast.  It was wonderful.  I walked away with a full heart and a soul that had been fed by sharing time with people I care deeply about.  For a few hours, there was a celebration of something that money can’t buy.  A reminder of the most important part of life – the people we share it with.

I’m hoping all of you had a long Thanksgiving weekend full of good food and the people you love.  Some of you had kids coming home from college for the first time since you packed them up and sent them off at the beginning of the year.  Your first eyeball to eyeball reassurance that you’ve done a great job of launching them and they really are managing to thrive.  The hard part is packing them up again and returning them to college, but they’ll be back home again before you know it!

The slower pace of the holiday weekend gave me time to really reflect on the feelings I had walking away from our Friendsgiving breakfast.  I want to feel that way through the entire next month.  I want that feeling to carry into 2017.   Life really is all about moments and we can choose how we want to spend those moments.  We get so caught up at this time of year trying to find the “perfect” gift for everyone.  But you know what?  The real gifts of the season are the people in our lives, the connection we have with them, the community that is created by our people, and most importantly, the TIME to share all of that.  You can’t buy that in a store.

So this is a gentle reminder … You can choose to skip some – or all – of the craziness of holiday shopping.  Choose, instead, to create time to celebrate the people in your life.   Your people.  It will feel wonderful and you’ll be glad you did.  Choose to feed your soul.  It’s a great way to ring in 2017!

Sending big love,

Jean