Sunday, May 3, 2026
The result of these past months, weeks, and daysโฆ
Firstโhappy birthday to my husband. So grateful to celebrate you ๐ค
Weโve had visits from incredible peopleโmoments I truly cherishโwhile also pushing me to the edge of what I thought I could handle.
A full house, a full heart.
We made your birthday party happenโฆ and somehow pulled it off in what felt like a blink.
So many meals cooked these past weeks, and Iโve been deeply touched by the kindness and love surrounding us.
A new ability emerging:
learning to be present, to truly enjoy the momentโeven when you canโt be with everyone you love at once.
Holding close in my prayers those going through difficult times.
A powerful lesson from our friends who traveled so far with their childrenโshowing strength, courage, and a love of life that feels like the most beautiful tribute to someone we all miss.
A reminder to live from the โcup half full.โ
A visit from a friend of 40+ years and her daughterโunexpected, not โthe right timeโโฆ and yet, exactly the right moment.
A reminder: we must make time.
Kids are entering exam season.
Work has been intense at timesโฆ and at others, Iโve learned to let go.
And I realizeโI have elevated my work significantly over the past two years.
Decisions are being madeโtoward a more authentic self.
Finding a balance between who I am deeply, and the life we are living.
Tonight, the house will be quiet again.
We will miss the laughter, the movement, the blonde heads running around.
I will find my studio againโฆ my rhythmโฆ
Or maybe just continue learning to move with lifeโ
its constant changes, its demands, its beauty.
For now, it feels like Iโve learned how to live within it.
For a few weeks, at least.
With love and light,
Jess โจ
P.S. There is something else Iโve been reminded ofโฆโฆ
seeing it from the outside.
At times in the past, as a wife and a mother, I felt a deep loss of control over my own life and time.
As if I was living to serve the dreams and wishes of my other halfโand my childrenโ
not against me, but simply because he knew how to ask, how to make things happenโฆ and they didnโt hesitate either.
And why wouldnโt they?
Thatโs where boundaries come in.
But most women are not taught thatโor donโt develop it naturally.
The truth isโmost women are not raised that way.
Even when we are independent and educated, we are often taught to care, to hold, to make sure everyone around us is okay.
So when we become wives and mothers, we get pulledโnaturallyโinto nurturing, carrying, giving.
And somewhere along the way, we can lose our footing.
It becomes essential to learn this:
caring for others should never mean forgetting yourself.
Your dreams matter too.
This is deeply connected to why I created Unchained Mothering.
Because no matter how strong, independent, or driven a woman is, this dynamic is very realโand very common.
And when we canโt find our way back to ourselves, something heavy settles in: guilt, frustrationโฆ sometimes even the feeling that the only way out is to break everything.
But there is another way.
Iโm deeply grateful to have moved beyond that stageโ
to still put my family first, but no longer at the expense of myself.
Unless itโs absolutely necessaryโand then there is no regret.
To say yes to themโฆ and also yes to me.
Iโm also grateful for my husbandโs patience through that processโ
because itโs no oneโs fault to want what they want.
Marriage is learning to growโand to adjustโtogether.
Itโs a commitment: to look back at what weโve built, to work through what needs to be fixed, and to move forward.
Challenges are part of life.
We all hope they remain smallโbut breaking everything rarely solves the root of the problem.
Often, that root is within us: learning who we are, understanding our needs, and learning how to communicate them.
And that, to me, will always be the better path.
































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