Let’s start a thread of comments here sending love and positive thoughts to our fearless leader & the creator of Kettle & Candle…….Pam💗

I just heard a story about Love. A young couple in their 20's fall in love and get married. Not too far into it, the wife gets MS and it's very debilitating - and 30 years of illness. When she finally made the decision that she no longer wanted to have treatment and just wanted nature to take it's course, she told the Dr that she wanted her husband to find a new wife, and she wanted to pick her. So she helped her husband create and post a dating profile. Of course not many other women were interested in getting involved in this story! But one decided to go for it because they really connected, she connected with the wife...eventually she moved in with the husband and wife - sharing a bedroom with the husband. She said it wasn't all roses, but the ailing wife became her best friend. An amazing story! I was crying so hard at the end!!! Wow!!!

One of the best ideas I picked up from Daniel Pink's 2026 video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q10H5RA3eCA, was to create a list of behaviors that no longer serve you. These are time and energy wasters and keep from from being your best self. This year, start with about 3 items....these are you "To Don't" list. Ask yourself if you stopped doing these things for 90 days, how better would your life be?

So after only reading two chapters of the Soul Injury boo I feel that I have a much better understanding of what I’ve been feeling and experiencing for the past 20+ years of my life. As I was reading, the book really resonated with me. I have PTSD for multiple reasons, one of which is finding my son‘s body after he completed suicide in 2022. I’ve gone through intensive PTSD treatment through the VA, which was very effective. I’ve suffered various traumas in my life and yet the feeling that I had was something deeper that I couldn’t explain. In the first chapter of the book, I had an “aha moment”, and realized that I was hurting at the level of my soul. When they defined the three broad categories that cause soul injury, a lightbulb lit up in my brain when I read “fear of helplessness and loss of control.“ I spent 24 years in the military, 20 of which were either as a noncommission officer or an officer where I was in charge of people, equipment and responsible for making sound fiscal choices. After retiring from the military I worked 15 years in the VA as a surgical specialty ENT PA working primary with cancer patients. I had been a PA for a total of 29 years when I retired. So looking back on 39 your career in federal service, 34 of those years were in positions where I could not be helpless and I had to be in control. At the time I didn’t realize the toll that was taking on my soul. I’m really looking forward to delving deeper into this, learning more, and healing the deep injury that has impacted my life and my relationships for decades.

🌿A “Word of the Year” isn’t a resolution with better PR. It’s a north star in your pocket—something you can reach for when life gets loud, messy, or exhausting. It’s not about perfection. It's about direction. 💡 Why one word works Goals can feel like homework. A word shows up in real life: - When you’re about to overcommit - When you’re reacting instead of responding - When you’re tempted to quit - When you’re choosing everyone else over yourself Your word becomes a simple question: “What would my word do here?” ✅ Quick Word-Picking Process (10 minutes) Grab a notebook or piece of paper. Write 3 lists: More of: Less of: Let go of: Circle what has the most emotional charge. That’s usually the doorway. Now ask: What’s the theme underneath?Overwhelm → Focus / SteadinessSelf-judgment → GraceClenching + holding on → ReleaseFeeling flat/numb → Joy / LoveFear + playing small → Ownership / Wildflower 🔥 The 3 Tests (to choose the right one) Pick your top 3 words and test them: 1) Bad-Day TestOn a hard day, does this word help… or shame you? 2) Whisper TestSay: “This year, I choose ___.”If your body softens or your eyes get spicy (teary), pay attention. 3) Behavior TestCan you name 3 actions this word would change? If not, it’s too vague. 🌸 Words already in our community Wildflower • Focus • Perseverance • Joy • Deep Breath • Embrace • Release • Grace • Ownership • Devoted • Steadiness • Peace • Tolerance • Love 👉If you’re choosing from these, try finishing one sentence: “This year, my word will help me practice ______.” 🧷 Make it REAL (not just pretty) Choose 1–2 anchors: - Put your word on your phone wallpaper - Write a daily question: “What would (WORD) do here?” - Pick one micro-ritual (ex, one deep breath before emails, meals, hard conversations) - Do a monthly reset: “Where did I live my word? Where did I drift?” A word becomes powerful when it changes tiny moments. That’s where your year is actually made. 👇 Comment below