Speaker 1: Hi, Family, secrets, Family. It's that time of year again,
Speaker 1: the holiday. Some of us love and some of us
Speaker 1: find challenging. Whatever your family dynamic, the holidays are sure
Speaker 1: to supercharge whatever's there, amplifying joy, grief, confusion, heartache, conflict, gratitude.
Speaker 1: Whether you're having Thanksgiving with extended family or a Friendsgiving
Speaker 1: with chosen family, or skipping the whole thing and getting
Speaker 1: out of dodge. I want to share a few thoughts
Speaker 1: with you. First, I'll tell you about my Thanksgiving. This year.
Speaker 1: I'm hosting sixteen people, and as I share these words,
Speaker 1: I'm waiting for a delivery of an extra table because
Speaker 1: I don't have room to fit all the family who
Speaker 1: are on their way. My in laws, my husband's family,
Speaker 1: are coming. I've known them for twenty seven years, have
Speaker 1: watched my nieces and nephew be born, grow up, become
Speaker 1: young adults. Together, we've mourned the loss of their gain parents,
Speaker 1: my husband's parents. We've witnessed each other grow and change.
Speaker 1: There have been divorces, new marriages, retirements, big life altering decisions.
Speaker 1: There has been illness and recovery. At the same time,
Speaker 1: I'm quite alone. The family I grew up in they're
Speaker 1: all gone. I'm an only child and have, as many
Speaker 1: of you know, a complicated family history, so there's always
Speaker 1: an air of sadness for me around the holidays, a
Speaker 1: sense of loneliness amidst all the chaos and delicious food,
Speaker 1: game playing and laughter. It's my lot in life to
Speaker 1: always be slightly on the outside of things, and that's okay.
Speaker 1: I've come to understand it as a gift. Attempting to
Speaker 1: shine a light on my own complicated history is what
Speaker 1: has allowed me to write book after book. It's what's
Speaker 1: given birth to this podcast, one in which my guests
Speaker 1: and I attempt to shape secrecy, silence, and shame into meaning, empowerment,
Speaker 1: and even beauty. So this Thanksgiving in particular, I am
Speaker 1: enormously grateful for all of you listeners, more than thirty
Speaker 1: three million downloads into this show. I am more aware
Speaker 1: than ever that we are not alone, quite the opposite.
Speaker 1: Our inner worlds form a magnificent tapestry of truth, powered
Speaker 1: by kindness and openness. Thank you for sticking with me
Speaker 1: and for the stories you share. And one more thing.
Speaker 1: On the weekend of December first to the third, I'll
Speaker 1: be leading my only annual retreat at Cropalu, a beautiful
Speaker 1: retreat center in the Berkshire Mountains. It's called The Stories
Speaker 1: We Carry, and we spend our time together shining that light,
Speaker 1: writing to illuminate our own stories, to discover what's there,
Speaker 1: to gather in community and laugh, cry, connect and draw inspiration.
Speaker 1: Every single time I lead this retreat, I'm blown away
Speaker 1: by the people who attend. Friendships are forged and the
Speaker 1: insights just fly. I would love to see some of
Speaker 1: my family secrets family there. It's open to every creative soul.
Speaker 1: You don't need to be a writer to attend, just
Speaker 1: curious and open. If you want to know more, just
Speaker 1: go to Kropalu dot org. That's k r I p
Speaker 1: a l U dot org and look for the Stories
Speaker 1: We Carry Again, wishing you a happy Thanksgiving from my
Speaker 1: heart to yours.