Ngā mihi o te tau hou

2021 has been such a hard year for so many people I love and adore.

As a collective, a community - as well as individually - we have lost a lot. We have lost loved ones this year, we have lost our sense of safety in some cases, we have lost hope, we have lost meaning.

It has been a year of heartache, a few ups, but for many it has mostly been a year of struggle and pain.

You can’t manifest a great year - no amount of positive thinking brings back those we love or heals hearts and bones that ache all the time.

But in this year of sadness we have found things too - we have found love, hope, kindness, and strength. We have survived. In some cases we have thrived. We have held each other gently. We have helped. We have helped ourselves and each other.

We have managed to get through this year with love. I am sure I am not alone in feeling very loved this year through it all.

So, good riddance to pain and sadness, I hope this year brings better things for those who had it so tough.

May your tears be wiped away by those who make your world brighter, may you always have people who want joy for you in your life.

May those who made your year harder get paper cuts every time they read a book.

May 2022 be kinder to you.

On a personal note - I am so very grateful for your manaaki and aroha for, and toward, me in what has been a challenging year for me and my whānau. This year you made me feel worthy, appreciated and loved - and you supported our whānau financially by subscribing to this newsletter. I can never thank you enough for that.

However you celebrate (or don’t) the passing of 2021 I hope you’re feeling loved.

Arohanui, Emily x

“Love, love, love, says Percy. And hurry as fast as you can along the shining beach, or the rubble, or the dust. Then, go to sleep. Give up your body heat, your beating heart. Then, trust.” ― Mary Oliver