Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you for the gifts, all of them—the messy, the beautiful, and especially the hard.

Thank you to my children who wake up each morning eager to play, to laugh, and to face the world. You remind me to not give up. I am because you are.

Thank you to my sisters who sit with me in my darkest moments, who let the tears fall, and call me out when it’s time to make a change. Thank you for challenging me to follow my truth. I am because you are.

Thank you to sisters I have lost. In my grief and struggle you have taught me more about who I am, what I believe to be true, and how I want to live in this world. You are my teachers. I will always love you. I am because you are.

Thank you to my puppies for always being happy to see me. You remind me that it doesn’t have to be so hard and that joy can be easy. I am because you are.

Thank you to my community, to the women who have trusted me, and show up again and again. You have been a part of my dream, and I am humbled that you are here. Nothing is without you. I am because you are.

Thank you to my daughter for not being afraid to express your full range of emotions. Your laugh melts me. Your tears and rage inspire me. Your bravery astounds me. You are everything already. Thank you for being you. I am because you are.

Thank you to my son for being sensitive and caring. Thank you for crying when you see homeless men on the street. Thank you for wanting to tend to our oceans and forests. Thank you for giving me glimpses of the man you are becoming. I am so grateful this world has you. I am because you are.

Thank you to my husband for wanting me to succeed, for never giving up on me, and always standing in my corner. I am because you are.

Thank you for love. Even lost love. You guide me. You humble me. You teach me. You remind me.

Thank you for everything.

I am because you are.

A few years ago I attended a women’s retreat in Massachusetts. I was introduced to the power of a Despacho Ceremony, a gratitude ritual from the mountains of Peru. In the ceremony you say thank you. “You say thank you for as much as you can think of. And then you keep saying thank you until you feel like you could say thank you for hours.”
~Rochelle Schieck

I was amazed at the power and potency of love we can create when we sit in a circle and share, in vulnerability and truth, everything we are grateful for. 

We get so lost and drowned out by the noise and chaos around us. We get consumed by the hard things and the struggle. We forget to see the beauty all around us, and we forget to say thank you.

This holiday season I invite you to say thank you. Let it be your prayer.

Say thank you to even the hardest moments and memories. Say thank you to those that have hurt you the most. Bring it to your holiday table, whisper it in your children’s ears before bed, thank your partner before you leave in the morning.

Say thank you.

It will free you.

And if you feel called to go even deeper, this New Year I am offering a very special New Year’s Manifestation Retreat. We will spend time in The Practice, moving our bodies, sharing, and getting clear on what we want to release from 2018. Then we will say thank you over and over again, even for the things that feel hard. We will drop into the beauty of a Despacho Ceremony.

We will call in what we want to manifest for the new year, and dream our way into 2019.

We gather as a circle on Sunday, December 30 from 1-5pm. There are a few spaces left. I would love to have you. All the information is over HERE.

Also, in January we kick off new 10-week programs of The Practice. If you are ready to make a change in your life, to finally breathe and listen to your own heart, then this is for you. All program information can be found right HERE.

And lastly, on January 31st, we will be kicking off The Practice Sacred Leadership Training for women ready to step into their leadership in their work and their communities and help guide women back home to themselves. I’m looking for five more women to join us. Details are below or right HERE.

From my family to yours, THANK YOU for being here. You are everything to us. Have a wonderful holiday week.

Sending big hugs, 

xoxoxo,
Michelle Long, MA
Founder of The Practice®