A Mother’s Day love letter to the women who lost themselves while keeping everyone else alive Sandi Rufo May 10, 2026 Today, I’m thinking about all the women in their fifties and sixties who are being celebrated on Mother’s Day, but deep down, still don’t feel worthy of the flowers, brunches, cards, mimosas, or “you’re the best mom ever” declarations. Not because they didn’t do enough. Because they did too much. They did so much that somewhere along the way, they disappeared inside the doing. We were born into a time when certain expectations were already laid out for us before we even had a chance to ask ourselves what we wanted. Our mothers and grandmothers were told that success meant finishing school, getting married, having children, putting dinner on the table, keeping the house somewhat presentable, and making sure everyone had clean socks, brushed hair, and something vaguely edible in a lunchbox. And honestly? The bar was different then. You could put some saltine-cracker-covered chicken breasts in an onion soup casserole situation, call it dinner, and everyone lived to tell the tale. You could slap together peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, toss them into paper bags, send the family off, and then sit on the couch with your coffee, watch your soaps, clean during commercials, maybe fold some laundry, maybe not, maybe eat a sleeve of Nilla Wafers and call it lunch. There might be a Tupperware party. Maybe a casserole swap. Maybe a Avon lady at the door. Work was for men. Play was for kids. Housewives were expected to hold it all together, but at least the world didn’t pretend they also had to become CEOs, nutritionists, therapists, room moms, activists, interior designers, fitness influencers, and emotionally regulated goddesses with perfect countertops. Some women loved the old arrangement. Some women were quietly suffocating inside it. Some women were fighting like hell to get out. Then something changed. The late eighties and early nineties brought a new kind of promise, but also a new kind of trap.

Hello! We are excited to explore chapter 4 of the Gnostic Gospels tomorrow. Please join us even if you are not caught up with the reading - your voice and you perspective is the most important thing! Check back here tomorrow for some journal prompts from our discussions. Hope to see you there!

Hi Sandi, so sorry to bother you with this again. I am getting a completely different format for week 3 than week 1 and 2. Is this correct or is it my laptop? Thanks, Eva 🌹

Your opinion matters to us! So please be courteous and contribute to this question. ❤😘 We're deciding on the line up for our next book circles (2) and we'd like to see which books are on your WISH LIST? If it's something that you've read and highly recommend, you can add it as well. We tend to lean more to scholars than channeled books, but I wouldn't rule it out completely.

I’m a little on the introvert side, so I’ll just wonder around on here for a bit until I feel comfortable. Hope that’s ok. The start up guidance has been great. Thanks