Celebrating Mom

Tomorrow I'm co-hosting a small ladies' luncheon in celebration of my mom's 80th birthday. It's been awhile since I stayed in my parents' home in Houston. This is a whirlwind trip. I am more aware than ever of my longstanding habit of overcommitting. My practice of sacred self-care has dwindled and I'm "staying up all hours of the night," as my parents would say.

My father and mother are witnessing what normally only my husband sees: my erratic sleep patterns that I can usually hide. I commit to so many things that I'm not doing a great job on that area of my sacred self-care right now. In addition to Mom's party, we're also getting close to the conclusion of this session of The WE Juice for Joy Experience.

This afternoon my sister-in-law, Frieda, picked me up at Mom & Dad's house and took me to her house so we could begin the food preparations for the gathering. I can't remember when I enjoyed food preparation more. Her kitchen is large, modern and spacious with everything in its place. Whatever equipment we needed, she had. But my enjoyment really had nothing to do with the size of her kitchen or how much equipment she had.

Instead, I was so present to the feeling of community, camaraderie and support. Frieda has a lot on her plate. A mother of five, she manages a busy household; she's participating in The WE Juice for Joy Experience and will be on her final day of the juice cleanse during tomorrow's party; and yet she pushed other commitments aside to stand shoulder to shoulder with me as we referenced our recipes. We made everything on the menu created by Chef Xian-- including the most exquisite dessert that is gluten-free, dairy-free, cruelty-free, sugar-free, delicious and best of all-- easy! Most of the recipes called for six or fewer ingredients, too, and all of the ingredients are fresh, vital and organic.

Thank you, Frieda, for the fun afternoon and evening, as we collaborated in the preparations for the party to honor Mom. And congratulations on your incredible success in The WE Juice for Joy Experience. I know you can't believe it, but you have honored your commitment in fulfilling a 10-day juice cleanse, even in the midst of such a chaotic time. I'm proud of you. May you continue to find more joy in your life.

And thank you, Chef Xian, for creating a beautiful menu that everyone will enjoy and providing the recipes and shopping list to prepare what you normally create.

Thanks also to Mom and Dad for the expressions of love and encouragement to get some sleep so I'll be fresh and able to enjoy the gathering tomorrow. I'm closing now. I promise. Really. Just one more sentence...