Happy Holidays to you all from Balanced Parenting!
It’s been a while since I’ve said “HI” and I thought I’d take a moment to reflect.
I started out 2023 with the death of my mom. The journey of grief, the loss of a parent and learning about that from the inside has been enlightening, to say the least. In the podcast, All There Is, Stephen Colbert, talking about the loss of his father and two brothers at the age of ten, reflected to Anderson Cooper, “It’s a gift to exist, and with existence comes suffering. There’s no escaping that, but if you are grateful for your life, then you have to be grateful for all of it.” This quote really touched me deeply and I think it accurately reflects my grief experience of this past year. I’m grateful my mom existed. I’m grateful for my life. With both of those things come loss and suffering. So, I’ve decided to be grateful even for the bone-deep pain of loss and complexity of grief.
Within this difficult year were also some beautiful moments of pure joy. I’m grateful for that, too. Isn’t life funny? We can experience pain and joy and loss and love and every emotion imaginable all at the same time! And that, I’ve concluded, must be what life is all about.
With deep gratitude to you, my community. For your kind referrals, for your appointments, for your sharing with me, for showing up at Coffee with Bette and even if we haven’t been in touch for a long time, I’m still grateful for you.
Wishing you a year of more joy than sorrow, more laughter than tears and more of what makes you feel like your best you!
Bette