Hi, Family, secrets, Family. It's that time of year again, the holiday. Some of us love and some of us find challenging. Whatever your family dynamic, the holidays are sure to supercharge whatever's there, amplifying joy, grief, confusion, heartache, conflict, gratitude. Whether you're having Thanksgiving with extended family or a Friendsgiving with chosen family, or skipping the whole thing and getting out of dodge. I want to share a few thoughts with you. First, I'll tell you about my Thanksgiving. This year. I'm hosting sixteen people, and as I share these words, I'm waiting for a delivery of an extra table because I don't have room to fit all the family who are on their way. My in laws, my husband's family, are coming. I've known them for twenty seven years, have watched my nieces and nephew be born, grow up, become young adults. Together, we've mourned the loss of their gain parents, my husband's parents. We've witnessed each other grow and change. There have been divorces, new marriages, retirements, big life altering decisions. There has been illness and recovery. At the same time, I'm quite alone. The family I grew up in they're all gone. I'm an only child and have, as many of you know, a complicated family history, so there's always an air of sadness for me around the holidays, a sense of loneliness amidst all the chaos and delicious food, game playing and laughter. It's my lot in life to always be slightly on the outside of things, and that's okay. I've come to understand it as a gift. Attempting to shine a light on my own complicated history is what has allowed me to write book after book. It's what's given birth to this podcast, one in which my guests and I attempt to shape secrecy, silence, and shame into meaning, empowerment, and even beauty. So this Thanksgiving in particular, I am enormously grateful for all of you listeners, more than thirty three million downloads into this show. I am more aware than ever that we are not alone, quite the opposite. Our inner worlds form a magnificent tapestry of truth, powered by kindness and openness. Thank you for sticking with me and for the stories you share. And one more thing. On the weekend of December first to the third, I'll be leading my only annual retreat at Cropalu, a beautiful retreat center in the Berkshire Mountains. It's called The Stories We Carry, and we spend our time together shining that light, writing to illuminate our own stories, to discover what's there, to gather in community and laugh, cry, connect and draw inspiration. Every single time I lead this retreat, I'm blown away by the people who attend. Friendships are forged and the insights just fly. I would love to see some of my family secrets family there. It's open to every creative soul. You don't need to be a writer to attend, just curious and open. If you want to know more, just go to Kropalu dot org. That's k r I p a l U dot org and look for the Stories We Carry Again, wishing you a happy Thanksgiving from my heart to yours.

Hi, Family, secrets, Family. It's that time of year again, the holiday. Some of us love and some of us find challenging. Whatever your family dynamic, the holidays are sure to supercharge whatever's there, amplifying joy, grief, confusion, heartache, conflict, gratitude. Whether you're having Thanksgiving with extended family or a Friendsgiving with chosen family, or skipping the whole thing and getting out of dodge. I want to share a few thoughts with you. First, I'll tell you about my Thanksgiving. This year. I'm hosting sixteen people, and as I share these words, I'm waiting for a delivery of an extra table because I don't have room to fit all the family who are on their way. My in laws, my husband's family, are coming. I've known them for twenty seven years, have watched my nieces and nephew be born, grow up, become young adults. Together, we've mourned the loss of their gain parents, my husband's parents. We've witnessed each other grow and change. There have been divorces, new marriages, retirements, big life altering decisions. There has been illness and recovery. At the same time, I'm quite alone. The family I grew up in they're all gone. I'm an only child and have, as many of you know, a complicated family history, so there's always an air of sadness for me around the holidays, a sense of loneliness amidst all the chaos and delicious food, game playing and laughter. It's my lot in life to always be slightly on the outside of things, and that's okay. I've come to understand it as a gift. Attempting to shine a light on my own complicated history is what has allowed me to write book after book. It's what's given birth to this podcast, one in which my guests and I attempt to shape secrecy, silence, and shame into meaning, empowerment, and even beauty. So this Thanksgiving in particular, I am enormously grateful for all of you listeners, more than thirty three million downloads into this show. I am more aware than ever that we are not alone, quite the opposite. Our inner worlds form a magnificent tapestry of truth, powered by kindness and openness. Thank you for sticking with me and for the stories you share. And one more thing. On the weekend of December first to the third, I'll be leading my only annual retreat at Cropalu, a beautiful retreat center in the Berkshire Mountains. It's called The Stories We Carry, and we spend our time together shining that light, writing to illuminate our own stories, to discover what's there, to gather in community and laugh, cry, connect and draw inspiration. Every single time I lead this retreat, I'm blown away by the people who attend. Friendships are forged and the insights just fly. I would love to see some of my family secrets family there. It's open to every creative soul. You don't need to be a writer to attend, just curious and open. If you want to know more, just go to Kropalu dot org. That's k r I p a l U dot org and look for the Stories We Carry Again, wishing you a happy Thanksgiving from my heart to yours.