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Hello friends, I’ve been thinking a lot about how life is a series of joyful and painful moments — often side by side. One minute you’re dancing at a concert, and hours later, you’re in the ICU after a stroke. One day you’re planning a baby shower, and the next, someone in your family receives a cancer diagnosis. One night you’re laughing and telling the same family stories for the millionth time, and the next day, someone you love takes their own life. This is the everyday experience of being human — the full range of joy and heartbreak. And that’s before we even mention war, politics, or the headlines. Lately, I’ve been asking myself: How can we lean into the joy of a moment? How can we stay present for the painful ones — without hiding, numbing, or pushing feelings away? How can we feel it all, find gratitude, and stay grounded through it? I just got off the phone with my dear friend Kathleen, who lost her husband to suicide five years ago. Over these years, I’ve watched her navigate unimaginable loss with such courage and grace. Today she told me proudly, “I’m so proud of my family — we’ve raised over $250,000 for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention since Scott’s death.” Kathleen has transformed her grief into purpose, helping others and breaking the stigma around suicide. This weekend, she’s chairing the Out of the Darkness Walk at Dorset Park on Saturday, October 18th. You can read more or sign up to join her in walking for this important cause. Her family has rallied together with creativity and heart — from bike rides to their upcoming Pickle for Prevention event in November. She’s leaned into both the joy of community and the pain of loss — a living example of what it means to hold both truths at once. Yoga teaches us this same lesson on the mat. The practice gives us space to explore effort and ease, to stay connected to the breath, and to remain present — even when things feel hard. Life offers us both joy and pain — but it’s better when we move through it together. I hope you’ll join me on the mat: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 9–10am. Charlotte Congregational Church Vestry (the white side building with entrance in the back) Thank you for reading — and for showing up, again and again, for this beautiful, complicated life. xo Lynn
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