What It Means to be Married for 16 Years
I had a hard time coming up with a title for this post, so I went to look up wedding anniversary themes, and it turns out it’s wax for year 16. I shared this with my husband and his response: “Well, you did get waxed yesterday!”
Happy 16th wedding anniversary to us.
Last year’s 15th anniversary celebration was a glorious return to our wedding location - Puerto Rico - with a host of family and friends. Every 5 years we return, and it’s been such a beautiful tradition with our loved ones. This year we’ll have a different kind of celebration honoring many family milestones including my niece recently turning 18 and her high school graduation, ours and my parents’ anniversary and my son’s 11th birthday (tomorrow).
I keep coming back to the fact that despite the chaos of the greater world, I’m grateful that my family is a life raft in the midst of it all.
I’ve continued to focus on gearing up for hosting my summer retreat (fall retreat details loading), planning events with Mass NOW (subscribe to our newsletter here), working with my consulting clients, prepping for and applying to speaking engagements and of course, my physical and mental health.
Last weekend we were in NYC gathering with family and friends, and seeing this week’s exciting news coming out of the primary brings hope but still reminds me many of the things we often need aren’t found only in the midst of government officials, but in community. I remain committed to work on building mine even if I often feel depleted and even if it’s showing up in small ways: a text to check in, an offer for childcare, a surprise grocery/food drop off, passing along employment opportunities and proactively offering to be references for those you know.
Before I sign off, I’m thrilled to share one more important thing:
My mother Bridgette Sloan is featured in Shannon Watts’s new book Fired Up. I know Shannon from my time volunteering with Moms Demand Action as Boston’s Community Outreach Lead for 3 years. When I first spoke with Shannon about my mother, it was within my own story, so when she inquired about an introduction to her, I was thrilled to make the connection. Over the weekend my mom attended Shannon’s book talk in Charleston and was elated when Shannon invited her up to read her passage:
Thank you Shannon for inspiring women to engage their passions, no matter their age - my mom has served as that inspiration for me, and I’m so grateful that others get to learn about her creative journey!