Dear friends💜, I am sending you lots of love and light today! Summer always seems to disappear so quickly when all I want to do is sit in the sun and let it sink into my bones. A few days ago it was my birthday. Usually, the day is full of heat and sun at the end of July but this time it started with a gentle thunderstorm and brought blessed cool, cloudy weather to replace an intense heat wave in the Midwest. Being a Leo, I have relied on the shining sun to fuel my days and when the day is...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Dear friends💜, It is July! I am partial to this month—not only because my birthday rounds it out, but also because I love the sun, the warmth, and the vivid green that stretches for miles and miles, field after field. I always think the green in Iowa in July, before the corn tassels, is like an ocean rolling in the wind—or as close as a Midwesterner can get :) I’ve had some time this month to rest and explore what my body is trying to teach me, which was much needed. I’ve been working through...
3 months ago • 3 min read
Dear friends💜, I hope this letter finds you well! I just returned from my journey to Ireland—what can I say? It’s an incredibly beautiful and magical place. The privilege of having the health and means to travel is not lost on me. Just five days before my trip, I ended up in the hospital with a serious skin infection—possibly from a bug bite? After lots of IV fluids, antibiotics, and four days in the hospital, I was miraculously discharged on Sunday afternoon and managed to drive to Chicago...
4 months ago • 3 min read
Dear friends💜, Happy May Day! Did you know the old Celtic name for May Day is Beltane which is derived from Gaelic meaning 'Bel-fire', the fire of the Celtic god of light? I remember in my young childhood decorating little green plastic strawberry containers with my mother to make May baskets full of homemade goodies for our neighbors. Spring is so full of light, hope, new life and aching beauty. In Iowa, this week feels like the essence of spring. Brilliant blossoms contrasted with crisp...
5 months ago • 3 min read
Dear friends💜, I am sending you a warm hug from Iowa:) The spring equinox has passed and suddenly there is more light than dark. I don't know about you, but anxiety often rises in me during spring. I can't quite pinpoint its root, but it seems to be linked with all of the growing energy building and swirling around me. Shoots of grass, daffodils, buds on the trees, little leaves on the lilac bush, birds singing loudly... combined with the surge of pollen that reminds me that I have asthma....
6 months ago • 3 min read
Dear friends💜, I hope this letter finds you safe and warm. So much change, division, unrest, hate and misunderstanding abound, and when I get overwhelmed with life, I simply have to rest. John O'Donohue, one of my favorite authors, says something along the lines of when you have been running at too fast a pace, you must rest to let your soul catch up with your body. I have to remember that often because I tend to sprint one day and crash the next. My heart is full of so many emotions these...
7 months ago • 3 min read
Hi friends💜, I am deeply thankful for your support in this world of unrest and division. Today I wanted to make sure you are the first to see my album cover and invite you to my album release concert! I am so excited (and slightly terrified) to release my debut album and its powerful message of self-worth. To truly claim our worthiness and power we must go deep inside where it is dark to find our inner light. When it seemed like literally everything around me was crumbling, this was all I...
7 months ago • 2 min read
Dear friends💜, I am sending love and a warm hug to you:) January has always been a cold and difficult month for me here in Iowa, but what gets me through is the returning of the light. The clouds of December melt away into frigid clear skies with gorgeous sunrises (that I'm awake for:) and sweeping sunsets that slowly creep later and later. Last week, we had a few unusually warm days. I took a walk and lifted my face to the sun, felt the ever so gentle warmth and let the white light seer into...
8 months ago • 3 min read
Mary Jane's Musings Monthly inspiration and updates! Dear friends💜, What a privilege to share this note with you on the first day of 2025. I am sending love and blessings to you for the days, weeks, and year ahead. This December was dark and cold in Iowa. We were blessed all year with long stretches of sunshine, but December was cloudy almost every day. This month I was able to slow down, rest, and light copious amounts of candles. Maybe this holiday season is filled with grief for you, or...
9 months ago • 2 min read