Dear Readers,

And just like that, another school year is coming to a close. That may not be the first thing on many of your minds, but I think it’s really starting to hit me now that my baby boy is finishing up his junior year of high school and we’ll just have one more year with him living at home full time. The term “empty-nester” is not one I’m quite ready for! But, come it will, so I will savor our time together and relish the milestones. Change always likes to bear its little ol’ head, doesn’t it?! Luckily, I enjoy it and have learned the “new normal” sets in pretty quickly.

We’re in a season of change right now, as we move from spring into summer—all around us, nature is bursting forth with more buds, blooms, blossoms, fruits and vegetables. It’s a time of fertility, birth and renewal, and this issue celebrates the season with a special Women’s Wellness section—take a look at the local providers offering services that support women’s health at every age and stage, from birth through menopause.

I feel lucky to be part of a local women’s circle that helps me grow and evolve as a mother, daughter, wife and friend. I feel supported and uplifted through our sharing, discovery and mutual respect. I think it’s so helpful to find groups where you feel heard and understood. Opportunities for connection, learning and growth abound in the calendar listings in the back of the magazine—I hope you find something meaningful to get involved with during this season of change.

I’m also part of an online group started by local transformational coach and spiritual midwife, Joni Advent Maher, called the Sacred Feminine Sisterhood. Back in 2016, a group of us co-created a beautiful poem that I’d like to share with you:

She stopped in her tracks when she realized

The beautiful bouquet of colors

was meant for her

She was bursting with desire and anticipation

at the unlimited possibilities that lay ahead!

And then she kicked up her heels and danced to

the music of her heart

expression of the suppression…

Dancing with colors

Illuminating Her Light

I wish a Happy Mother’s Day and Father’s Day to all of the parents reading this issue.

 

Happy Reading!

Jessica