The last time I penned one of these was the morning we decided to close for Covid. And here we are… a year since we opened and ohmigosh what! a! year! Before I dig into what this year has looked like for me on a personal level, I want to first encourage you to get a cuppa something because this is a long one.

When I was growing up my maternal grandmother lived with us. We had a two bedroom home so my sisters and I shared a room with her. We called her Nanay, that means 'mom' in Tagalog (Filipino.) Every single night she would lead us in prayer. We'd ask God to bless every single one of our family members — I'm talking mom, dad, aunts, uncles, cousins, second and third cousins — and then we'd list all of the things we were thankful for. This is the earliest memory I have of practicing gratitude.