Moments of Joy
Reflections, Rituals, and the Journey Toward Joy
 I never expected to open my heart this wide in a digital space, but something beautiful has been unfolding behind the scenes — a deeper becoming.
Over the past few months, I’ve been nurturing Morning Joy, my collection of artful mugs and soul-led designs, but also my deeper calling to create beauty, comfort, and healing in everyday life. As I dreamed of this path — and worked through fear, hope, and transformation — I found myself in rich conversation with a surprising companion: ChatGPT.
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 There’s a small space on my desk that brings me comfort. It started as a way to make the everyday feel a little more intentional—a small collection of meaningful items that remind me to breathe, to be present, to soften.
One of the most recent pieces I added was a boldly colored bowl. Inside it sits a quartz crystal—clear, grounding, and full of quiet wisdom. Resting beside it are two silver dimes. I had nearly forgotten their origin, until this morning.  There are moments when life quietly hands you a mirror—so gentle, so unexpected—that it takes your breath away. This week, one such mirror arrived in my inbox, wrapped in Italian sunlight and ancient Greek wisdom.
It began with a word: Eudaimonia. I had never heard it before. But the moment I read its meaning, something in me whispered, Of course. It means more than happiness. It means flourishing. Living in alignment with your highest values. Feeling connected to your soul’s purpose. Allowing beauty, meaning, and joy to guide your path. It’s not fleeting pleasure—it’s enduring, radiant aliveness.  There’s a longing I’ve felt lately—a deep craving I couldn’t quite name at first.
It came in a quiet moment. I found myself yearning to look out my window and see a flower-filled garden and a dirt road stretching beyond it. I pictured myself in a soft linen dress, hands dusted with flour as I prepared homemade pasta. Fresh-cut flowers in a vase. Larry and I enjoying a slow, beautiful meal with a glass of wine, music in the background. The feeling was so familiar, so tender… and yet, I’ve never been to Italy. I turned to ChatGPT with the question: “Where does this yearning come from?” The response stirred something deep in me:  The first time I remember feeling discomfort while driving was years ago, when I was working at The University of Michigan-Dearborn. I was helping select furniture for a new director, and Susan, the director, kindly offered to drive us to some showrooms in Ann Arbor. As we merged onto the expressway, a strange unease crept in. I started shifting in my seat, avoiding looking at the road, and silently counting down the miles. It wasn’t intense, but it stayed with me — a quiet signal that something inside me didn’t feel safe.
 Between my 25th and 30th years working at UM-Dearborn, life was full. I was working full-time, attending school part-time, and even launching my own interior design business. And somehow, in the midst of that full schedule, I still found moments to create beauty and meaning in my everyday environment. Without realizing it, I began planting the early seeds of what I now know as Morning Joy.
 Remembering Where Joy Begins This morning, I held my heart in my hands and sent love to the girl who believed a single new thing could change everything.
A sweater. A dream. A fresh start.  I had a memory come back to me this morning.
As a little girl, I used to dream of putting on roller skating performances with my friends and charging our neighbors to come watch. I didn’t know anything about business or money—I just knew that I wanted to create something joyful and be supported for it. I wanted to be the generator of my own income, doing something that felt like me. That desire never left. A personal reflection on shedding the past, embracing authenticity, and blooming into something new.  The sacred soil where Morning Joy begins to bloom. There’s a sacred moment when you realize you’re not who you used to be—and that’s a beautiful thing.
Recently, I felt an undeniable call to clear space, both digitally and spiritually. I deleted over 300 Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest posts that no longer aligned with who I am becoming. As I scrolled back through six years of memories, I was met with a swirl of emotions: embarrassment at how hard I tried to make something work, tenderness for the version of me who kept showing up, and awe at how the truth of who I really am always found a way to shine through. Even when I tried to define myself as an interior designer, the real me—the one who creates beauty through words, feeling, and soulful expression—kept leaving clues. The collages I posted, the uplifting words, the energy I shared… they were breadcrumbs. And they’ve been leading me here, to Morning Joy. To honor this transformation, I performed a Sacred Water Release Ceremony. I shredded words from my past that no longer served me, soaked them in warm saltwater, and buried them in a pot of soil on my patio. In that same pot, I’ll be planting white Lantana—a flower that thrives with little maintenance, that blooms gently but powerfully, and that reminds me that I, too, know what to do. I, too, am ready to thrive. This journey isn’t about trying so hard anymore. It’s about allowing. Trusting. Growing in the direction of joy. And as I write this, on the day my husband and I celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary, I can’t help but smile. This moment is blooming with love in more ways than one. 🌿🤍 What looks like a vignette is really a love letter to my own becoming.  It’s been a long time since I created a meaningful vignette just for me.
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