December 2014
Happy Holidays Everyone!
We want to wish you each a joyful holiday season and hope that you enjoy
what is most important: family,
friendship, good food, health and peace.
As always, our year is summed up into a word or two. While I have REFUSED to get wrapped up into
the craziness of it all…we have been forced to and I started to listen to the
words and the story the behind Frozen. There
was actually a bigger message that stayed with me: LET IT
GO. I know, I know…SERIOUSLY? Your word of the year is taken over by Disney
too!?!? And to top it off, boy do they know
how to work out licensing deals and everywhere you go, you hear kids singing
this song while wearing their Elsa and Anna t-shirt and holding their sibling dolls. So why in the world am I using this as our word of the year? Well, here’s the thing: It is something that is so important to do,
but innately we tend to hold onto things and some more than others. Why?
The story behind it, afraid of what is to come, you’re too stubborn, you
secretly like a little drama, and the list goes on. On Thanksgiving Day, I went to a powerful
yoga class and the message was about letting go. She also talked about how we naturally hold
on to negative experiences to protect ourselves. We are constantly in a state of fight or
flight. So for every negative
experience, we have to counter it with about 10 positive experiences in order
to create the right amount of peace, calm and balance. Man was she right. As I have been trying to do that, you find
that you naturally find the loop hole, what could go wrong, the issue…WHY? Instead of accepting it for what it is, that
it is meant to be and that you will learn from this either way. So, what do we do? We each have to start to try and LET IT GO.
Let me share some ways that we have begun to LET GO this past year.
Clive has entered
the FOURS. Never would we have thought
that age 4 would be so challenging. They
are strong, they know what they want and most importantly, they know what they
don’t want. He continues to amaze us
with this smarts, his ability to create his own moves on his scooter, amazing
split jumps at gymnastics and his down-right stubbornness. Not sure where he got that from? He also is testing his love for sports in real
action. He started soccer and while it
was a bit overwhelming, he loved the game and mostly the uniform! He was so proud of completing his first
season and his trophy has finally escaped from under his pillow and is now on
display. Many of you know his obsession
with Tom Brady. His ENTIRE wardrobe is
filled with sports jerseys. We THINK,
just THINK, he may let go of some of
those jerseys to trade them in for SUPER HERO capes! So stay tuned for SUPER-CLIVE!
His biggest
milestone this year was turning 4 and A HALF!
Who knew that was such a big deal.
He is already to let go of
his 4th year and everything is about going to Kindergarten. How did we get a Kindergartener already? My eyes water just thinking about letting go of my little baby and seeing
him off to school with his backpack and lunchbox. (sigh)
But that is what it is all about, right?
Giving them the love, confidence and support to grown them into being
this wonderful little human that runs off into the world to shine. So for now, we will savor those snuggles and
special moments that we have with Clive.
Natalie is a
sweet, sharing, won’t LET GO of her
stuffed “Ducky,” and is the quintessential, “I will DO IT MYSELF two year
old! Wow, has it been different raising
our little girl! She has been a super easy-going,
patient toddler. She is not as cautious
and likes to try to do things, well, because she can! She loves her big brother more than anyone
and can’t start her day unless she gets a hug from “Cwivey!” She is definitely a care-taker and loves to
push her stuffed animals in her stroller, comb her hair and help make sure that
everyone is happy. And if you have a
comfy lap, she will back right up and sit in it! She continues to amaze us with her sweet
disposition and her love for dancing and singing. Her favorite songs are “Let it go,” “All about that bass” and “You are my sunshine.” She is a well-rounded kid!
Derby, one of our
original “children,” has had to LET GO
of her child status and embrace her DOG status.
Poor Derby! The bright spot is
that one of Natalie’s favorite things IS Derby!
She loves spending time with her and always cuddles with her on her bed,
gives her treats and reminds Derby that we haven’t forgotten about her.
Josh continues to enjoy his new job at New England Bio Labs over this past year. He has accomplished a lot in his first year
and they couldn’t be happier with his contributions. His work has brought him to Switzerland for
the first time and he was ready to let
go of his US Citzenship for life as a Swissie. No joke.
He has also enjoyed the balance of work and life. They support the true meaning of family and
want you to enjoy your family as much as your work. That means the world and it truly is an
amazing place to work.
While we’re talking about Josh rockin’ it, he also earned
his first Half Marathon medal! He successfully
ran in Newburyport, MA this October and in great time! He had to let go of his tired ol’ sneakers and break in news ones to prepare
for the next one. Do we think a FULL
marathon is in his future!?! We shall
see!
Christina
continues to work with lotions and potions at Crabtree & Evelyn. It’s been a very busy, challenging couple of
years, but you know she loves a challenge!
She continued to rack up her sky miles and hotel points, but her heart
is with the family. She would let go of it all to spend more time
with the family (and get a little more yoga in). The most important revelation she has made
this year, is that quality of life is more import than anything; that each
person controls their path and if it is full of love, peace, happiness, THAT is
living life to its fullest. There is no
salary that can give you that. So stay
tuned to see how Christina finds ways to let go of things to make room for more
of the good stuff.
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We hope that each of you continue to support the words from Disney’s
multi-cajillion dollar royalty earning song, LET IT GO. Find 10 happy
things to counter the one negative thought that comes to your mind. You will be amazed at how light it makes you
feel. Enjoy life.
Enjoy love. Enjoy food. Enjoy connecting. Enjoy laughter. Enjoy YOU.
Sending you lot of Newman love this holiday season!
Christina, Josh, Clive, Natalie & Derby
