Week 2: Make Yourself at Home

Dear Beloveds,

I don’t know about you, but I had an unusually joyful week. Despite the longings I reflected on last week, I’m often overwhelmed by the beauty in my life—much of it shaped by you. Hearing how many of you are arriving at this season has deeply encouraged me. Amanda Gorman’s words echo in my mind:

“Even as we grieved, we grew,
even as we hurt, we hoped,
even as we tired, we tried.”

This season holds so many paradoxes. We long for home, for God, and for our truest selves—all while navigating vocation, caregiving, cooking, cleaning, serving others and striving to take care of our bodies and spirits. Yet within all that we carry, sometimes dropping things along the way, we are invited to come home to ourselves again and again with tenderness.

This week, you’ll be encouraged by reflections from Kimberly Goode, my longtime collaborator for Advent and one of the wisest and most contemplative humans I know. Truly. I keep a post-it with Kim’s words on my computer monitor—a daily reminder to find my way back to myself. She’s an ordinary mystic and a beautiful soul, and I’m so glad you’ll hear from her this week.

Cozy up and make yourself at home.

With love,
Leonetta