Are you in need of a potentially eye watering, good ol’ fashioned inspirational story? Because I have one!
It starts in my living room.
I like to deep clean my home a couple times a month, which requires a significant chunk of effort and time. In 2020, I decided to take that task off my plate by hiring a consistent cleaning person to support me on the domestic front.
Not only was this a way to support a small local business during a pandemic, it also made a big difference to my quality of life.
Instead of spending almost 12 hours per month cleaning, I could now use that time for clients, adventuring with the Suns, or the mountain solitude that’s so essential to my mental health. It’s been one of my best household investments.
After trying out a few folks, I signed on to a long term contract with the wonderful Felicia.
Although Felicia is A+ excellent at her job, it’s a personal story of hers that I’d like to tell you.
(All details shared with permission, of course.)
At the end of 2020, Felicia had been estranged from her mother for five long years.
Fractures in the parental relationship are tough on anyone, but for Felicia the pain was heightened because the estrangement meant that her 6-year-old son was growing up without any grandparents in his life.
One day, while cleaning a kitchen somewhere in Calgary, Felicia’s phone rang. It was her mother, Yvette.
In that emotional conversation, vulnerability and deep humility were bravely shared between mother and daughter. Both women had spent the past few years working on healing and personal growth, and it showed.
That alone would’ve been enough for my eyes to spill over – a story of relationship repair, values realigned, and hope for life’s beautiful possibilities.
But it gets even better.
Because 2020 was not the most travel-friendly year, Felicia’s mom had a brilliant idea for how they could reestablish their connection despite the distance between them.
A book!
Felicia had always loved to write and Yvette had recently taken a watercolour painting course, so they decided to create a children’s book together.
Through daily phone conversations, the book began to take form, all while Felicia and her son built up a renewed relationship with Yvette.
The book is a fun story about a boy and his dog, globetrotting in a magical bed that transforms into a race car.
The writing is delightful and the watercolor illustrations are refreshing. But while the book itself is wonderful, I love seeing it around my home because it reminds me that old wounds can become new beginnings.
And even when our hurts are deep and long standing, we still have access to compassion, courage, curiosity, and the liberating power of shared creative expression.
With strong hearts and open minds like Felicia’s and Yvette’s, we can get through anything.
If you’d like to join me in supporting this reconnected family, and receive a book you can gift to a special child in your life, get your copy here.