In our family, the period between the autumn equinox and winter solstice is spent in overlapping waves of gratitude, listening, reflection, giving and celebration. It is such a fun time of year. Squeezed in between all the normal everyday routines are moments of magic, joy and abundance--reminders for ourselves of the connections we share as a family and with our larger world. It’s also a time of surrender and inner trust during the darkest time of year.

In a culmination of the season, we have a solstice tradition of unwrapping an album of our year in pictures. With this, we celebrate and reflect on all the joys and challenges of the closing year, spending time being thankful for both.

Looking back, this has been a big year for us as a family of taking risks and listening in. When Nate stepped out of the contracting world and into full time work with one organization, it was a big change; and for Alexandra it meant leaving her job to be home full time. It was quite a leap of for all of us especially when most of the jobs on the horizon fell far short of making Nate’s heart sing, but not the case with WholeHeart.

Finding WholeHeart felt like an alignment of practice, process and purpose. From the perspective of our family, it has been much more than a job. It feels like a daily opportunity to honor Nate’s calling to be a part of the work that needs doing in the world to reorient human beings towards love and connection and equality, and a celebration of how we choose to live as a family in service to the whole and with faith in great mystery. Getting to welcome him home in the evening is now a family ritual of fun and gratitude.

In this season of giving, we give thanks to all the relationships in our lives that make every day a gift. Our album this year is stuffed thick with moments and memories, ups and downs. And in embracing where we’ve been, we walk into this next year with arms and hearts open to whatever unfolds (...though we certainly have some very specific ecological, social and political hopes and dreams).

Happy solstice from our family to you.