Dear Friend,

Are you as excited for the ‘ber months as I am? It’s the start of so many seasonal things that definitely make this my favorite time of year… football season in our favorite college town, pumpkins, fall movies, Halloween, all things autumn leaves and gratitude, and Thanksgiving and Christmas with our family.

What’s on my mind:

The first of September was World Letter Writing Day. I know there is a day that’s set aside to celebrate just about everything under the sun, but this one got me thinking… what WOULD it be like if everyone in the world wrote a letter to someone they love? That might be too lofty a lift… but what if it was half… a third of all people? Could you imagine the joy, love, and positivity that would circulate the globe with that many kind words to others? It’s not too late to take part in letter writing… Thinking of You Week is coming up soon!

Real Letters:

Last week I talked about how we truly feel closer to someone during the process of writing them a card or letter… that duration of fifteen or so minutes it might take to pen your thoughts is a way to connect on a deeper level with those you miss.

I put this into practice recently with some ‘Open When’ cards I wrote to my college girls. I used my new Language of Flowers collection and tied in the meaning of the flower to the reason for my note. As I thought through ways to encourage, guide, share wisdom, and empathize with each of my girls, it allowed me a chance to really think about each one of my daughters, who they are, traits they have, and things they might experience or go through during this fall semester. That time of connection through writing lingered longer in time and deeper in my heart than a quick text would have given me. Here’s a peek at the notes and how I packaged them up. These were fun to leave in their rooms as a surprise.

Inspiring me today:

I stumbled on the House of Joy podcast sometime over the last year. I love the mother/daughter dynamic the hosts share, but what I love even more is the focus on living our best life now, in these empty nest years and this time of life when so many of us reflect on WHAT NOW?? There are a lot of discussions about intentional thought practices, rewiring our neural pathways, and creating over consuming. This has been a sweet spot of subjects that speak to my soul just about every time I listen.

This and That:

The House of Joy podcast has talked quite a bit about the book The Twelve Week Year. I have started thinking through yearly planning this way. Goals feel more attainable and chunking the year in 90 day timeframes works with the rhythm of seasons as well. If you like to have intentionality to your days, set goals for the year, and have a plan, I think you might really enjoy this book. With fall here, it’s a great time to put a 90 day timeframe of planning into practice!

Extras for you:

They hyacinth symbolizes joy, sincerity, and a desire for forgiveness. A hyacinth bouquet conveys a sense of playfulness and a sport attitude.

Who comes to mind when you read this meaning? Consider printing the hyacinth stationery sheet to write a letter during Thinking of You week.

​Hyacinth stationery sheet.pdf​

Happy Writing!

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❤️ Jill

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