[sad] joy.

Grief and joy co-exist in life. Everyday.

Two facts you need to know to appreciate this week's message more fully:

1. I LOVE Pixar! I'm an unashamed geek about it.
2. Grief is on my mind because this week is the anniversary of the death of our daughter, Mattea.

All of us have layers of grief in our life - we grieve people who have died, but we also grieve jobs we have lost, opportunities never explored, and so much more. It is a universal reality shared by literally everyone we see each day.

In the Pixar movie Inside Out, the creator was driven by the question "What can joy learn from sadness?". I think a lot.

It is in the sadest moments of my life that I have come to recognize and appreciate joy. Because Mattea died, moments that brought me joy have forever been touched with sadness - i.e. hanging the Christmas stockings (one with her name on it) or taking family photos knowing she will never again be with us in them. I don't avoid these experiences in life - they are rich, beautiful, and sometimes magical. However, I have come to invite sadness in - allowing me a deeper understanding and appreciation for the joy.

I challenge you to consider that the most challenging circumstances in your life have gifts to give you - growth, empathy, connection, joy. Take a minute to reflect on it this week, maybe even write it down to fully absorb and appreciate.

Darkness makes the light seem brighter.

I invite you to dork out with me and watch this 90 second clip from Inside Out creator, Pete Docter, about how they came up with the premise for the movie. My favorite line is "Sadness is crucial to a valuable life".

Also, I hope you enjoyed the free digital workbook you received! If you haven't put it to use or aren't even sure what that might look like, I welcome. you to join me for my next engagement.

I am guiding a group via Zoom through the Discover joy. Digital Workbook and would LOVE to have you participate. I think there is value in you having some investment in the group, so I am offering it for the nominal price of $19.

We will spend 5 weeks (one hour each week via Zoom) supporting and guiding one another through the process of curating more joy in life using tools that I outline in the Digital Workbook, but will teach in more depth on our calls together.

First session begins Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 12PM (feel free to eat your lunch during our time together). All sessions will be 45 minutes. I hope you choose to join in and make time and space for you to curate more joy in your everyday.

Wed, Feb 15

Th, Feb 23

Wed, Mar 1

Th, Mar 9

Wed, Mar 15

The registration is now open for the next joy. workshop on Friday, April 28 from 9AM-3PM at the Kankakee Country club. The theme is [uncluttered] and will focus on not only physical uncluttering, but how clutter gets into all aspects of our lives. Seats are limited.

Register early (before February 15th) and receive a discount with the code "early".

LAST DAY to purchase Tickets for the Mattea's Joy Gala!

PO Box 213, Bourbonnais, IL 60914
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