Hello, friends—

Whew. What a year.

As many of you know, my best friend of 25 years passed away in April. Kelly had struggled with asthma her whole life, but it always seemed pretty well-managed. Her death—from asthma, but potentially linked to complications from Graves Disease—came suddenly and left all of us in shock and grief.

I still find myself in disbelief. “How is this even real that we are talking about Kelly in the past tense? Surely she is not the one who died…?”

And yet… in the midst of the heartbreak, I am deeply grateful.

Grateful for the last week I spent by her bedside, for the circle of beloveds who gathered and reconnected in love and support, and for the incredible gifts still unfolding in her wake.

Including this: I can still feel her. Turns out, she – the part of her that has always lived inside her body – didn’t and cannot die – it’s eternal: her beautiful, precious soul… And when I invite her in, she shows up. We ‘talk’. She answers my questions, ‘tugs’ on me and makes jokes. What a miracle.

One of my favorite ways of remembering and celebrating my bestie is by listening to the music she/we loved and looking at our photos… (And oh, that wig still gets me!😳)

I may share more as new reflections rise to the surface. But for now, thank you. Thank you for the love, prayers, check-ins, and energetic support as we’ve been moving through this profound loss.

And I’d love to turn it toward you now…
What are you grieving?
How does grief show up for you?
Do you have tools and resources to support yourself as you walk through it?
And did you know we’re not only processing our own experiences, but also feeling and processing the energies of the Collective?
That’s a LOT!

So much is surfacing these days—old, festering truths and deep generational wounds. It can feel heavy, messy, overwhelming.

But what if this surfacing…is a sign of readiness? What if we’re finally strong enough to face it, feel it, heal it—and walk forward in power and love?

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that today is Juneteenth—a sacred, long-honored day in Black communities, finally recognized as a federal holiday in 2021.

It commemorates the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans, yes—but it’s also a stark reminder: freedom delayed is freedom denied.

Juneteenth marks the two years it took for news of the Emancipation Proclamation to reach the last enslaved people in Galveston, Texas. Two years.

This is not ancient history. This is the DNA of this country.

And if we are not actively tending to the roots of injustice—if we are not vigilant—oppression will re-emerge in new forms.

We are seeing this now: in the rolling back of civil rights, the whitewashing of history, and the persistent dehumanization of Black, Brown, Indigenous, queer and trans lives.

We cannot afford to look away.
We cannot afford to grieve in silence.
Our grief must galvanize us.

Juneteenth invites us to celebrate freedom and recommit to the work. Not performative allyship, but real, embodied transformation. Dismantling, reimagining, and rebuilding—within and around us.

Lastly, just a loving reminder: you’re not alone.

We are all on this path together.

And while we each walk our own way, many of us are choosing the same North Star. Let’s keep choosing the Light. Let’s keep choosing each other.

With love,
Clarissa 💛