It's high time for some discussion on the good things in our lives, so after catching up we dug in. Looking for work and has some interviews scheduled this week. We are all thinking good thoughts and praying the right job shows up at the right pay. Learning a lot more about their brain injury, and comparing how behavior changes have shown up today vs how it looked pre-injury. Once the root cause was identified, it's possible to change going forward. If they do that, how will that change how they are as a person? (Deep consideration!) Enjoying a new kitchen after a remodel, and how big a difference it made in their happiness! Rehoming a foster dog that was difficult at first and has turned into a great dog. The perfect home has shown up and it's a peaceful feeling to know he will have a good chance at a fun life. One of our daughters has WEDDING BELLS IN HER FUTURE!!! And finally a garden renovation/remodel. Taking what was once a big and beautiful gardern to something smaller, simpler, but still beautiful and beneficial. It was fun to hear everyone share some joy this week! Hope everyone has a great week! Thanks for coming! -Jess

This time we discussed what matters more now than it once did. Close friendships came up, along with honesty over performance, truth, financial security, and peace was brought up more than once. It feels like at this stage of life, many of us are less drawn to what is superficial and more drawn to what truly matters at a deeper level. But my biggest take-away was that one member learned how things that frustrate us actually mean growth and positive things are happening, even if the experience of that growth as it occurs may not feel positive. That,f or me, was something to really reflect on. What was your takeaway?

Hi friends, I just wanted to let you all know I will miss the chat time tomorrow. I will be doing the eulogy and prayer for my friend who recently passed on with early Alzheimer’s disease. Her memorial in the morning. 💗

This time it was about expectations, and how we handle them. Connie brought up that she doesn't start with an expectation. An intention can move to a goal, and then move into an expectation. She lives in intentions, which resonated with me since an intention is something I can do for myself. An expectation can really be a heavy lift at times. Mike mentioned Disneyland, and how as parents you rush from one thing to another to another because we (adults) know how to work the park. But it can potentially take the joy out of the experience for the youngsters. His son wanted to get out of line and go do something else. He obliged and that trip today is remembered as one of the best. Kathy also said that her son wanted Mickey pancakes, and it took about an hour or more to do that - and while she kept thinking "we are wasting precious time" her son was enjoying every moment of breakfast and each bite of pancakes, and yes - for him too- it still comes up when they talk about that trip. I have literally RUN my kids from ride to ride to hit the great ones first because "you'll miss it if you don't do it this way" but - what did I miss by not allowing them to orchestrate the day. My take away for this is to be more mindful of the little ones and listen to their requests while letting my expectations of what "the best way" is. And Lori mentioned that life may have taken a turn that blew any expectation you may have had out of the water. While I think the pivot she chose is amazing - I know her expectation of what life would look like right now is different then the life she has. If you reflect back to: "I thought I had to keep everyone happy!" I thought my relationships would follow a certain path!" "I thought I'd have it figured out by this age..." "I thought my success had to look a certain way." Are there expectations you may be holding onto now, without realizing it? Does disappointment come from expectation? Connie mentioned a book called "1000 names for Joy: Living in Harmony with the Way Things Are" by Byron Katie.

I appreciated seeing those of you who came to our chat. This time it was about "Knowing when something is enough..." We talked about 5 different parts of our lives, and how "enough" might show up (or not.). Personal Growth / Self Improvement; which shows up as constantly working on yourself but rarely pause to feel ok about who you are right now. Relationships; which shows up as doing your part in a situation but still trying to manage the outcome, or giving more energy then you have because you don't want to let someone down. Work / Productivity; Looks like you finishing what needs to be done but then looking for more to tackle. Home / To Do Lists; House is clean enough but you find one more thing to organize, or you Spend the weekend catching up on tasks instead of enjoying the space you have. Money / Resources; You've saved a decent amount but you still can't relax about money, or you reach a goal but then you move the goalpost. I personally can see myself in ALL of these, which is why this topic turned a bit more into Jess guidance then chat - but this is why I appreciate you all. The different perspectives that you all bring up allows me to both give myself grace but also to learn (and keep learning) that I need to pause and enjoy more. If you weren't able to join us this week, I asked the group for feedback on our Fireside chats, or anything they'd like to share as to how this group is structured, or what they'd like to see. The answer: A resounding desire for an "open discussion chat." I hear you! Let's have our First Ever WILDFIRE CHAT on April 7th. I will need a second cup of coffee for this one! Thanks all - see you next week! Jess