A Moment of Full Gratitude for You
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Every year, when I sit down to write this gratitude letter, I’m reminded that my work is not just work. It is a privilege. A quiet witnessing. A front-row seat to the courage, tenderness, and truth that appear when someone chooses to break old patterns, soften lifelong defenses, and slowly find their way back home to themselves, coming back to our authentic selves, in turn nurturing and allowing our kids to be their true selves.
And this year has been no different. If anything, it has deepened everything I thought I understood.
My clients have taught me more about healing, resilience, and truth than any book or training ever could. They have shown me what it looks like to choose inner freedom one moment at a time.
This is my gratitude letter for 2025: a tribute to what I have learned from you, because of you, and with you.
My reflections for 2025: What I am grateful to learn from my clients this year
That sometimes life needs to break open a little so we can finally come back home to ourselves.
A deep reverence for the sacred courage it takes to be a cycle breaker. You are freeing not just yourself but the generations that come after you.
That nothing replaces the presence of a parent. Nothing at all. Not money. Not opportunities. Not big trips or incredible experiences. Presence is the real gold.
The essential wisdom of listening to our bodies. The body speaks first. It alerts us when something is off. It is deeply intertwined with our nervous system and our mind. As Dr. Tara Swart teaches, psychology and biology are inseparable. How we think, feel, and believe affects our physical health, and what happens in the body shapes our emotional world.
Along these lines… The quiet power of micro somatic practices continues to amaze me. These small, intentional pauses pull us out of our heads and gently bring us back into our bodies, back into ourselves. I have seen the most beautiful shifts happen the moment a client stops thinking their way through everything and starts listening to what their body has been trying to say all along.
Knowing your family story is essential if you want to truly know yourself.
That change can feel beautiful and even joyful when you are supported along the way.
That circles really do heal. Thank you, "Healing Roots Circle".
That grief softens when it is honored and witnessed in community. When we grieve together, we recognize the shared humanity in all of us.
That surrendering to what wants to unfold can feel terrifying, yet it is often the doorway to true peace and new possibilities. Letting go opens space for life to expand in ways we could not imagine.
That the only way out is through. Avoiding our pain only makes it louder and heavier. Facing it frees us in ways that are far from frightening and surprisingly liberating.
That allowing ourselves to simply be and feel is the purest expression of authenticity.
As Dr. Richard Schwartz teaches, we cannot bypass our parts to reach our true selves. Every part, even the difficult ones, needs to be acknowledged with compassion. I see this in my clients constantly. The moment they stop trying to push parts away and instead turn toward them with curiosity, something opens. That is when self-energy rises and real healing begins.
He also says that when we are in our self energy, we are calm, compassionate, curious, courageous, connected, clear, confident, and creative. When a client touches this place, it is unmistakable. Their wisdom rises. They know the way.
That pleasure is not just a reward after healing. It can be part of the healing itself.
That families hold both our deepest joy and our deepest pain. They are the place we belong and the place we feel wounded because they matter to us more than anything.
How fiercely we can protect the idealized image of our childhood, even when the truth was far from ideal. Sometimes out of gratitude. Sometimes out of guilt. Sometimes, because looking directly at the pain feels too hard. As Vienna Pharaon teaches, gratitude does not erase what was missing. Both truths can live together. Love and absence. Care and wounding. Accepting both is part of the healing.
That compassion is the gateway to truth. Only when we meet our pain with kindness can we finally see what is real.
When we create the space, young adults find profound relief and comfort in having a conscious parent or coach by their side.
And finally, I am grateful for the soft and quiet victories. The ones that look small from the outside but shift entire lives from the inside. They are never small. They are sacred.
As I look back on this year, one truth keeps returning to me: healing is not linear, but it is always alive. It moves in spirals, sometimes soft, sometimes sharp, and yet, every time someone chooses honesty over habit, compassion over protection, or presence over performance, something shifts. Something opens.
Thank you for your vulnerability, your trust, your willingness to go inward, and your courage to imagine something different for yourself and for the generations that will follow.
If you’ve been with me through the years, you know this has become a small tradition. You’ll find the previous gratitude letters here:
Each year, the list shifts slightly, but the heart of it remains the same: I am endlessly grateful for your stories, your depth, your humanity, and the privilege of witnessing your growth.
Here’s to another year of truth, tenderness, and becoming. Here’s to the quiet miracles that change everything.
