Advent For LOVE

If you’ve been journeying along with me for a while, you’ll know that more than anything in life …I’m here for the LOVE. To choose it. Show up for it. Open wide to embracing it. Share it and devote my life to embodying it. When all is well within and without, this seems like a natural, almost obvious way of being. But when the world is incessantly unfathomable, stressful, overwhelming, harming, devastating, despairing and heartbreaking (hello reality, especially 2020- present day), choosing LOVE can seem impossibly distant and difficult.

And yet. From all the available options (truly tried and tested), LOVE as it turns out, again and again, declares itself as the forever invitation, teacher and medicine that prevails. My theory around LOVE as winner supreme is a simple one; (and yet took me decades to discover, trust and believe) is that beneath the layers, the masks, the fear, the ego and the BS …LOVE is the truth of who we are at our very core and essence. We stand before December’s door. A time that feels ripe for “wintering” (aka an inward turn, a slowing down, candle light, resting more and doing less). And yet the juxtaposition; the hustle, bustle, planning, buying and feting of the holiday season awaits. Our bodies call for cocooning, soup-making, hearth and heart tending. The outside world calls for our “to-do” lists, planning, preparations, overspending, overindulging, over committing, et al. Perhaps a way to honor both our inner needs and outer commitments is through the heart. To meet it all with LOVE. Self LOVE. Self Care. Intentional Heart-felt Gifting. “No thank you” as my bestie. Simple Pleasures as more than enough. Gratitude as LOVE Language. Nature as Nourishment. Joy for the sake of feeling Joy. Kindness with everything. Less being so much much more. Advent Calendars hold a special place in my heart. As a child the daily anticipation and excitement to counting down the days, opening a new window to reveal a festive depiction or better yet; a chocolate treat. As a parent, making advents and witnessing that same magic and joy through the wonder of a child was pure delight. It got me to thinking about how we mark time and how the holidays can sometimes feel like we've taken another job (hat costs us $$$ and our peace of mind). For me, I am marking the days and committing to this month with my forever intention of being here for the LOVE. Follow along on IG - I’ll be sharing what I notice, what inspires, what gladdens, connects, reminds, teaches and affirms that what I am seeking is always seeking me. Perhaps you’ll join me and be on the lookout too. With so much LOVE, always Jo x The Invitation: As you begin your day, set your intention to be the LOVE that you are and have always been. Throughout your day, consider how you can think, express, share, witness and be the love that already exists within you and, is all around you. Ask the Universe to reflect this love back to you in the form of physical signs, synchronicities and opportunities. And as you move through your day be on the lookout for the messages and affirmations that are tucked inside the seemingly mundane and ordinary. When you notice them, stop for a moment to take in the gift and acknowledge your ability to receive back what you radiate out into the world. Know that this is so much more than random co-incidence or happenstance. This is a reflection of you choosing to participate in the sacred language of the Universe. The beauty you see, the joy you feel, the kindness bestowed, the hope that is possible, the miracle of it all is not something “out there”; but resides within you. The key to experiencing the goodness, the joy, the opportunities and the true spirit of the holiday season lays within our desire to be present for it, to be both witness and participant. To be here for the LOVE of it.