October was a month of both-ands: the birth of a book and the death of a family friend in California. Both have left me filled with a mixture of emotions, including gratitude, joy, and grief.

I’ll begin with sharing about “the book.” Anyone who has read Mosaic Heart learned snippets of my mentor’s wisdom as she offered perspective and practical tools to use while I navigated decisions after I was diagnosed with cancer a second time. Her guidance helped me stay the course through the months of treatment. And “snippets” is the perfect word for what I shared—my memoir hardly captured all Janet has done to teach, encourage, and inspire those of us who work with her.

Melissa McQueen, who first introduced me to Janet in 2012, and I began working on this book after making a request to do so during Summer Solstice 2024. We asked Janet if she would allow us to put into words and imagery what we’ve learned from her orally, beginning with Circle. Janet agreed and joined the project, reviewing what we captured and creating and recording guided meditations for each chapter.

Circle Wisdom, the first of the “Seeds of Light Collection,” was published by Merry Dissonance Press on October 22, and is now available everywhere books are sold, including Amazon, Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, BooksAMillion.com, and your local independent bookstore. I encourage you to pick up a copy for yourself and share it with others to experience the gifts of words, imagery, and spoken meditations.

As the back cover describes, “Circle Wisdom is an invitation and an opportunity. Within its pages, you are encouraged to expand your knowledge, increase your awareness through your senses, and experience Circle in ways you may have never imagined.”

I hold deep gratitude for the opportunity to work on this beautiful project. In its pages, we are reminded of our connection to nature, to each other, and to ourselves.

Lauri Embraced the Joy of Living Fully

Within days of Circle Wisdom being birthed into the world, I learned that a close friend in California had been placed in hospice. Not having seen her in a few years, I planned to fly out on October 28 but received a call from one of her sons on the 27th, telling me she’d pass earlier that morning. The news left me reeling.

I knew Lauri (pictured at center) for twenty-five years, meeting her through an organization I joined when I decided to homeschool my daughters beginning in 2000. She was a part of Tri-Valley Explorers, an inclusive support group that served families of all homeschool styles, worldviews, and family types. I was grateful for our years together as we formed coops for learning and created experiences with and for our children. My daughters still talk about those experiences today.

Even after we moved to Colorado and our children grew up, Lauri and I connected, visiting each other and our families on a few occasions. Sadly, we had not seen each other in three years, and for that I feel deep regret.

It’s hard to sum up the life of a person who touched so many other lives, including mine. This is what I posted after her sister made the announcement about her passing on FB:

“We’ve lost a bright light in our midst. Lauri was a beautiful human being with a powerful, love-filled spirit who taught me so much about living until our last breath. Lauri’s genuine kindness and generosity, her curiosity about almost everything, her open-heartedness toward everyone, her deep love for her family and friends, and her joy in embracing life are what I will remember most. She touched mine and my daughters’ lives deeply. I will miss her.”

By the time I published my memoir in 2022, Lauri found out her metastatic breast cancer had spread. Throughout her integrative approach to treatment, she focused on living, on health, and on keeping joy alive in her life. She did much traveling, including multiple trips to visit her sons. She wanted to spend as much time with them as possible. Even in the last month of her life—which no one thought would be her final month on the planet—she traveled to England for a knitting conference and to Boston for a family event with her husband and sons. Lauri embraced the joy of living fully.

Spread Light and Love

Lauri is a reminder to me that no matter the challenges we face, we can find light in our lives and in our world, and we can enjoy the gift of being alive and truly living.

I share this with you because of the profound impact her life and death have had on me. Her life reminds me to live each moment to the fullest, to spread light and love wherever and however I can, and to do today what I’ve dreamed of doing rather than put off until tomorrow those deepest desires and dreams.

I offer this reminder to you as well.

May we all find ways to live fully from a place of love and light.