Here Comes the Sun

"Courage, dear heart." -C.S. Lewis

Hello ♡,

I have a memory of being very little and standing in our family’s kitchen, with the linoleum floors, oak kitchen table, and light coming through the screened windows. I was just tall enough to hold onto my mom’s thigh. I remember reaching up and pulling on the fray from her cut off jean shorts. Her skin was so soft (she’d roll her eyes about this), and I held onto her leg as she sang the old Beatles song, “Here Comes the Sun.” I felt safe, and I felt hope. It may sound strange for a little heart to feel hope specifically. I didn’t have the word for that of course. But I felt expectant: the sun was coming! That sounded like good news.

Photo by Hide Obara on Unsplash

Whenever I hear this song, I remember that moment. And I feel hope, expectant even. Inexplicable perhaps, but that is what the song promises, after a “long cold lonely winter, Here Comes the Sun.”

The world certainly feels like it is in winter right now. Hope may sound far off or strange. I am not going to ask you to feel things. And I am not going to promise good things are coming. I don’t believe in doing that, nor do I have some secret knowledge. Your personal story may also feel like a long, cold, lonely winter right now. So, I am not about to write a newsletter promising hope that I cannot guarantee. If you have been around here long enough, you know we steer clear of shiny empty promises.

But every time I hear this song, including this week, I feel hope. I feel expectant, looking for the sun. It reminds me not just of that moment, but of the light. And as I listened to that feeling on a walk recently it dawned on me (get it?!) why. It is a small promise that in spite of the difficult things the sun will still come up. I like the specificity of it, much more than “everything will be alright.” It’s really precise: every day the sun comes up again, after winter comes warmth. No matter what the night holds, there is always also the sun. The darkness can’t stop it from existing or appearing.

Photo by Ales Krivec on Unsplash

And as I thought about it, I remembered all the small moments that happen every day in spite of darkness. These aren’t big promises, they are the stubborn coexistence of light: your kids talking in another room, a favorite song on a commute, friends checking in on you, an unexpected burst of laughter, flowers blooming on their own, cold water when you are thirsty, helping others, being helped, reconnecting with an old friend, dog cuddles, taking a walk. Small sunrises.

Photo by Andy Carne on Unsplash

I have been thinking all week about looking for the “sun.” Maybe this is a gratitude practice. Maybe it is an “and” practice. Meaning, we live most grounded when we live with the word “and” at the ready. “The world is on fire, and”…”I am struggling, and”…It is never an invalidation of the hard thing. But instead a recognition of the stubborn persistence of the sun to come up, over and over again.

The warmth of these moments, the persistence of the light to dawn every morning makes me think of one of my favorite quotes, "Courage, dear heart." -C.S. Lewis. Keep going. Whatever it is. Look for the small sunrises. Here comes the sun, regardless, it comes.

And if you need courage today, I hope this finds you. I don’t know your winter, but I hope and pray for the warmth of the sun in moments for you too. Maybe you are that persistent light. Maybe it is a moment breaking through the lonely winter feelings. Wherever the light hits or reaches you, I pray that it would be warm, and give you a little courage and a little expectant hope.

With you,

Monica

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Book News!!

It was an absolute delight to meet some of you at the Cultivate book event last week! I had so many favorite moments, from finally putting faces with names, conversations with you all, and the reader who won the giveaway with an answer about my dogs (and Maggie!), Sweetie and Coco would be SO proud. Cultivate is such a special place, and it was a beautiful experience. I cannot think of a better way for this book to be welcomed out into the world!! Thank you for coming, and thank you to Mazi Robinson and the Cultivate team for being inspirations in the work they do, and the way they lift up women.

Online Book Event with RevelEleven - May 15th!

RevelEleven is a dynamic community of women who are changing the world through inspiration, information and personal growth. Through our speakers, events, and retreats, we help empower women by starting the conversations that need to happen and fostering a community of love, connection and support.

I hope you can join us!! Here is the link: https://reveleleven.com/your-pain-has-a-name