Last night as I was falling asleep it occurred to me that I shared three pretty UBER DIRECT letters I'd written to friends and colleagues with you yesterday, Loved Ones, to share examples of having good boundaries and how a Chief Happiness Mentor conducts themselves "in private."

I thought to myself, "Ah, maybe I could also share the softer side of written communication. Maybe I'll share a letter I wrote to a dear, dear family friend who has known me, and loved me, since I was, like, 2 years old or something crazy like that. Not so UBER DIRECT (not necessary), but written with a heart full of effusive love while being in a very complex relational dynamic.

So here's the context to better understand why I would craft the letter as I did and the view of reality that it shows I am lucky to sustain every moment of my life: (My Bliss Path program participants: BlissLife course material.)

1) My mom has been tremendously disenchanted with me as of 2015; I continue to have any sort of communication/relationship with her that she is open to having with me--on her terms
2) This dear, dear family friend is in regular contact with my Mom and loves her dearly (as I do! :-)
3) The thing we need to always take into consideration to be in COMPLETE INTEGRITY within BOTH relationships is to be honest about our thoughts and feelings while ensuring that we're not inciting cross-talk, drama, guilt, enmeshment, enrollment or any other dark force when navigating talking with either person about the other
4) For instance, when communicating with this dear family friend, I avoid mentioning my Mom as the easiest way to avoid triggering any of those responses; if I need to acknowledge the reality of my relationship with my Mom when communicating with a dear family friend who loves her dearly is to be LOVE, SUPPORTIVE, and LOVE in thoughts, deeds, and words
5) If you've forgiven yourself, the person who has turned away from you, and the universe for the change of a treasured relationship that occurred then what's left is only love and gratitude for JUST WHAT IS and there is no residue of darkness when that person is invoked; the only thing left is GRATITUDE (someone to love!!)
6) Always see the additive effect of joy in the world; when two people love each other, as my Mom and this family friend do, there is just the deep appreciation that they are adding LOVE to this world at a time when it's deeply needed; and it's my world, too; their LOVE is in my life just by me being gifted to "witness' it

Phew! Sorry that's a ton and if you've read all this, holy cow! I'm actually really honored that you would spend your precious life time doing so. Thank you, Loved Ones!

And without further ado, here is the letter I wrote the other day to someone who has known me almost my whole life, who is so dear to me and dear to my family, in which we touch on some....well, what might be looked at as very touchy subjects.

"Dearest [Name Redacted],

As someone who celebrates the Lunar New Year (not the Gregorian calendar New Year), I'm in the last days of the year (ouch!) and looking forward to celebrating the first day of the Year of the Water Tiger on February 1st. My first spiritual teacher, who gave me initiation into the Indian Saraswati lineage, with whom I dedicated fifteen years of my life to avidly study and practice under, was next door neighbors in Oakland with a Chinese Taoist spiritual teacher. (Small world; basically the same ancient wisdom but filtered through Chinese culture, not Indian.) The Chinese Taoist teacher's name was Liu Ming (he passed in 2016).

My first teacher and Liu Ming were best of friends and colleagues and they would often send their students to the other teacher if they felt the need to remediate here and there. The two communities of their students, in many ways, blended together being enriched by the other teacher's teachings. Many of my friends today were Liu Ming's students. It is through him and now them that I have been taught a bit of the ancient wisdom of the Chinese cycles in time and absolutely love it as a way of understanding time and space and how individuals and communities interact within it.

That shared with you, I'm a little nervous about Year of the Water Tiger. I'm a little bit small and tender to not go into the year without a bit of instinct to batten down the hatches and see if I can make a nest of buffering around me and my life to ride out the year. So far things are already feeling a bit a-tumbly already these last weeks of the year, so I seem to be failing at that goal miserably. Hahaha!

I am so happy that you all are going to [College Town] to celebrate [Child’s] graduation. I hope that the weather is warm and sweet by then and that you don't tear up too much watching your young [adult child’s] rite of passage into official adulthood. I look forward to hearing about your trip this spring so I can celebrate for you all, too! OMG, isn't if funny but I don't remember ever meeting [Sister]. Thinking of you with siblings is actually a funny mental exercise for me. Since I formed my bond with you as a young child I just think of you as the All Powerful and Kind [Name Redacted]. Imaging you in some other roles, like daughter, or sister, is actually hard for my mind. So funny!!! I'm so glad that you and everyone will have some extended family there to celebrate. I hope [Other Child] has a good semester, too. My favorite is having loved ones in school so they can regale me with the things they are learning about. I'm such a geek I still love school so much that I'll enjoy it vicariously through others. Enjoy!

Nothing makes me happier than knowing that you and Mom enjoy your FaceTime chats. As someone with two businesses, a boatload of heavily absorbing friends, and a life mission (hahaha!) I totally understand that such relationship goals will ebb and flow in their fulfillment or not. I am very, very close to my old landlords, [Names Redacted] (I lived with them longer than I lived with my Mom and Dad! wow!), and I've only zoomed with them once since I moved to Florida back in September. A huge part of that time lag was not having the tech infrastructure at first (I get sick around EMF pollution so need to use cable wired tech only), but then there were their holiday celebrations, my work, etc. etc. I like to think that quality and not quantity is the key to loving communication. Hahaha!

Seriously, I worry about my Mom quite a bit. Over these years of her growing more and more absent from my day to day life, the more (admittedly from the outside looking in and without having her confidences anymore so grain of salt here with the value of my observations) I grow concerned that she's over-isolated and forgetting her old focus of Lighten Up! (she had a huge sign up above her bedroom door for years with that encouragement). As I am no longer a source of comfort, love, or solace to her there's nothing I can do to support her being healthy, happy, and full of joy. Therefore, just knowing that you're a part of her day to day life, even if just in thought and intention, makes me so grateful to you!! And for your love of her. She's such a dear person!! And yes, when she told me that [Brother] and [Brother's Wife] were coming to live with her this winter, I teared up on the phone from the warmth and gratitude in my heart. At least back when I was part of their day to day lives, the three of them were three peas in a very happy pod. I'm assuming that's still the case and so happy for all three of them to get this special time to just enjoy being with family who make you feel safe, seen, and loved. Sweet!! :-)

Yes, I've been heavily adverse to any "health care" model which is based on savage animal torture and reductionist materialism for its guiding philosophy for decades so I imagine my mom is not surprised by my continued dedication to trusting Mother Earth, my mother and home, to give me everything I need to stay healthy and happy. And I would NEVER try to change her views about things as I've been taught that ideally one doesn't infringe on anyone's freedom to think and believe what they want. I'm grateful to hear that you have an open mind about such choices and even host your family members making different decisions. Thank you for being you, dear one!!

Have fun during your three day stay with one of your church ladies. I imagine that you'll have the usual mix of challenges and joys from such an endeavor and look forward to any stories you want to share about how your time with her unfolds.

See, I'm tearing up again re-reading about you taking care of your friends' disabled 16 year old son for almost a week (!). Do you mind if I just say: I love you so much, again? ;-) Oh, okay, and one more thing. If there's every any service I can do for you or your family or loved ones, please don't hesitate to ask me. I am ready to give you the opportunity to be on the receiving end of joyful service, dear. You sweet hero!

When you and your sweet husband's trip to [Warm Vacation Spot] is over, this spring, please send me a picture or two. I'm glad that you'll get some vacation and he can warm up his sun batteries before heading back for a beautiful Maine summer. I'm already wishing you two a trip full of ease, grace, and fun. Thank you for letting me know about it so I can hold those wishes in my heart for you both.

Thank you for writing! Such "letters" are treasures that, for me, sit as gifts of love no matter the amount of time in between them. I'm always here for you and excited when I get a letter from you in my inbox.

Happy Lunar New Year, dear!! Be well!

Love, [My Original Birth First Name] :-) xo

P.S. Pinky wave!"

Again, this letter offered to you, with love, as an EXAMPLE of a Chief Happiness Mentor's "private life." As an example of how I work every MINUTE of every DAY to be love in action with all of my thoughts, deeds, and words.

May you fall madly in love with yourself and then not know a moment of loneliness!! May you fall madly in love with your life and be able to keep everyone in your heart with love NO MATTER HOW THEY REACT TO YOU. May you ride that razor's edge of having good boundaries while staying in integrity with being loving-kindness. May you help create joy, love, and community in all your actions.

O, Peace, Peace, Peace!

I love you! I am here for you! Let's fall in love with our lives, find our purposes, and hence, change the world. With love! With light!

🤩😍🤩