i began writing this series in may 2022, not intending to make it a tradition. but it stayed—and so did you. thank you for showing up each month.
ella is holding the daughter of the girl who once held her. hailey babysat ella for many years, starting when she was barely more than a child herself—a sixth grader entrusted with my whole heart. and here, seeing them together, it feels like full circle. 💜
december was good to us. i hope it was good to you too.
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A Grace Full Life 
Lots of good stuff! I laughed at the cardinal and mohawks.
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I did too!
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👍🏼
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December good, January not so.much. both sick. $17 abd change for a pound of chocolate is something I can do without easily
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I’m so sorry you’re both sick. 🥹
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Your monthly collections always paint such a great portrait of the season it is part of. So many beautiful (in different ways) images. The one that landed hardest was the one with your words about your body. I am really seeing the impact of the last three years in my body. I’m struggling with that. Don’t even know what else to say. Accepting the struggle is all I got right now.
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Aww, thank you friend!
Thank you for sharing this. It’s such a hard thing to talk about—weight, food, body shame—especially now, because there’s so much stigma around it. I feel like our generation grew up with really toxic role modeling and images everywhere, and now with menopause, grief, and everything else, some days I don’t even know the right way to feed myself. It sounds like you’re being really gentle with yourself, and that’s such an important thing. I’m sending love as you sit with all of it. 😘💜
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The cardinal comic is the cutest thing! Some great pictures and inspiration, all around.
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Right?? I loved it!
Thank you, friend. 😘💜
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Lots of great things to have kept! You noticed some real pretty skies last month.
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Aww, thank you! Yes, so many pretty skies!
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This was so great!
I love Tara Brach and just talked about her on the blog today! She’s great.
Lololol about the comparison tattoo, that made me LITERALLY laugh out loud.
“The hardest people to forgive” – whoa. Isn’t that so true!!! Kind of mind-blowing, actually.
Did you change your hair colour? I love that photo of you.
OMG what is making those candies so expensive? Are they imported? Is it just general inflation? What is happening? Also what ARE those candies?
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Thank you, friend!
I love her so much, and I love that we’re both talking about her.
It made me laugh out loud when I first found it.
I sat with that quote for a very long time—so mind-blowing.
As for my hair, long story short, my stylist glossed it with a darker color than I usually use, so I’m just going with the flow! 🤣
Bijoux says there’s a cocoa shortage—which should make us very afraid. Non-pareils are very yummy!
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That image of the eatery looking through the curtain confused my brain some.
Re: Connected or Separate. I hate it when people are waiting to talk and not listening to you, but worse for me are the people who simply talk over you. I find it demoralizing.
It is hard to forgive our younger selves for the mistakes and choices they made, sometimes.
Sweet puppy.
I feel Hobbes very much here in BC.
Those little letters from our kids warm all the corners of the heart, don’t they?
Neutrality toward the body is an excellent choice. Grief changes us in so many ways, and physically is one of them. Grace towards ourselves is a beautiful thing. Those we’ve lost would want it for us.
I think perhaps my favourite thing about December is that it’s over.
Happy new year, friend. I’m glad your December was good. Wishing happiness to you and yours.
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I thought I should give it a caption because without context, it might be a bit confusing. We were at a ramen restaurant with friends and had our own private room. Our husbands were holding back the curtains to show the rest of the restaurant.
I’ve been talked over many times, so I know how that feels. If I’ve ever talked over someone, I immediately stop and apologize. I don’t understand people who don’t care, but maybe I’m not meant to understand them.
I feel Hobbes here in the US too. Sending you love.
YES—I had that letter on my fridge for a long time. It feels like just yesterday. She graduates in May.
I really love what you said about grace toward ourselves. It feels so important, especially after grief changes so much of who we are.
I get what you mean about December—sometimes just closing the month feels like a gift in itself.
Happy new year to you too, my friend. Wishing happiness and peace to you and yours in the year ahead.
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Kari, the photo of those nonpareils immediately made me think of my mother because when we were kids during the summer, she and my father would take us to the drive-in movies, and the very first thing she would buy at the concession stand were NONPAREILS. She LOVED them! She also love Goetze’s Caramel Creams, so she would get them too. I can’t get over the PRICE of those nonpareils – $17.79?!?!?! – WOW!
LOVE the quote from Connected or Separate. I find that to be SO true!
STUNNING capture of the sunset/sunrise.
Don’t you love the movie, ‘Elf?’
Yes, December was very good to me. I learned a lot during that month. It was a month of deep, personal understanding and growth.
As always, delightful post, my friend. Have a faaaaaaaaaaaaaaabulous week and January!
X
P.S. What a touching and sweet Dear Mom from Ella!
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I LOVE THIS! They’re so yummy. My dad got Ella hooked on them, and it was such a fun little thing they shared. I was going to get her some, but then I saw the price—umm, I think I’ll wait until it comes down a bit!
We love the movie Elf—my mom even did an Elf Dinner for us during the holidays, which is what that Elf on the door is for!
I’m so glad you had a month like that, friend. I’m sending you so much love. I’ve learned so much from you over the years, and I’m so grateful to Bijoux for introducing us.
PS—Isn’t that amazing? What a gift that is. 💜🌈
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So many lovely things, Kari! Be where your feet are! Isn’t that the truth! Often my mind is so far away from my feet. I love the words about accepting your body. I’m in that place too. My body is in bad shape, but getting better. It got me through a very hard time, and I’m so grateful for that. Awww, the note from Ella is the sweetest.
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Thank you, friend! Yes, being where our feet are feels like such a practice, doesn’t it? I love that you’re in that place with your body too. It really is remarkable how much it carries us through, even when it feels worn out. And yes, Ella’s note—she melts my heart every time. 💜
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Love this post filled with all sorts of beautiful gems.
Why is that candy now so expensive? That’s crazy!
Love that note from Ella…and her holding the baby (and the story behind the photo).
Did you color your hair a darker color?
Ooh, my favorite wall…the blue velvet curtains with the green wall, along with that gorgeous chest that belonged to your grandma! (Insert heart emoji.)
xoxo
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Aww, thank you, friend!
My friend Bijoux says it’s because of a cocoa bean shortage—GAHHHH.
I didn’t actually color it darker. I’m trying to go blonder over the next year on my own, but I went to my dear friend Dina around Thanksgiving for a cut, and she gave me a free gloss… which ended up darker! So I’m kind of going backwards a bit. 🤣
It’s my favorite part of the house, and now that you mentioned those colors together, I can’t stop looking at them. 💜🌈
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Lots of goodies here. Sigh on the chocolate. Apparently, there has been a cocoa bean shortage due to weather-related issues and that’s why the price of chocolate chips, etc. has skyrocketed. And you know the price won’t come down next year, when cocoa beans are abundant. Food prices are ridiculous.
What is that Asian restaurant behind the curtain thing? It’s enchanting! As is the empty mall! I’m hoping to walk in a few malls over the next two months because I’m certainly not going outdoors.
Your glowing lights and fireplace are so welcoming. And that purple sky is incredible. I hope you have a happy week!
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That’s what I thought—grr. Just in time for me to start eating chocolate again! 🤣
It’s called Kyuramen, and it really was just as enchanting as it looks! We had our own little room and celebrated a friend’s birthday over lunch. The food was great, but honestly, the atmosphere really stole the show. After lunch, we wandered the mall with our friends too. It was such a lovely day.
Aww, thank you! I hope you have a happy week too, my friend! 😘
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Lots of great stuff here. The Tara Brach piece on connected/separate is so good. I’ve heard that used in group sessions where attendees are encouraged not to think ahead about what they will say during a check-in so that they are listening intently to others’ contributions.
I love the Andrea Gibson quote. I only learned of her recently, and want to know more.
The piece on body love makes me think that if only people did not body-shame, this wouldn’t even be a conversation.
I laughed out loud at the tattoo meme.
December was good to us too, with lots of family time including an impromptu visit from overseas. Blessings to you and yours in 2026.
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I love Tara’s books and have learned so much from her. I’m also learning, slowly, how to be a better listener. Honestly, I think listening should be taught in school. It really is an art form.
I loved her work too. She died of cancer in 2025, but she left behind so much good work. Poetry, books, posts, all of it still feels very alive.
I agree with you on the body shaming part, and that tattoo meme made me laugh too.
I’m so glad you had a good December, Steve. Blessings to you and yours as well. 🌈
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Hello!!! I loved many things about this post!..the first thing that spoke to me was “connected or separated”..that’s me. I need to stop processing and just freaking listen. The letter from Ella…my goodness, that is so dang cute, What a sweet girl you have. Ok, your hair! Did you go a little dark and add some red tones? It looks fabulous! I’m loving it! Perfect post for the new year!
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