#UnitedByJoy

This is an excerpt from the weekly News-Loveletter. If you would like it sent to your inbox directly (with all the other juicy bits, including a mini joy practice), you can add yourself to my mailing list here.

Our first-ever European Joy Collective gathering in late July!

Licia, with her penchant for efficiency, pulled us together on WhatsApp to co-create this epic event with rapid response. #UnitedByJoy she called the group, and truly, we are all that and more. Spanning 3 countries, Andrea, Nora, Licia, Kirsten, and I gathered together near Kaiserslautern, Germany, for the first ever European Joy Collective celebration last month.

We had met one by one along the way. One joined for the first Core Alignment with Joy series and one for the second. Two came on board through the Nonviolent/Compassionate Communication foundations course. Friends told friends. Most stayed in the Joy Collective week after week, one season following another, while a couple stepped out for other adventures. Once in the Joy Collective, always in the Joy Collective. So many return.

We gathered on a Saturday morning in Andrea’s beautiful home. Kirsten picked up Licia at the Frankfurt airport, ecstatic to be meeting for the first time in person. Nora drove in from 20 minutes away so we could hug for the first time. When all 4 of us stood in the same kitchen, we marveled at how easy it was to be ourselves. It felt as if we’d known each other for ages, and certainly some of us do go way back.

It’s something special we’ve got going here, the Joy Collective. It’s rare to get to show up in the raw with our truth. To be welcomed by others who have practiced seeing the best in one another and themselves. To connect with those practiced in attuning to their own and others’ dreams. How beautiful it is to surrender to love when we are down, trusting someone else has the energy to hold the light. Or to be that light shining, regardless of circumstances, because this is what we practice.

The Joy Collective is a group of folks who understand that our natural state is joyful and flowing. We know that stuff gets in the way sometimes; we can lose our connection to love. We have practiced strategies together to find our way back quickly and honestly.

For one blissful weekend, our in-person Euro Joy Collective laughed and cried and played together. For one blissful weekend, we shared our dreams in realtime and celebrated the sharing. Look at the faces in the picture above. Don’t we look ridiculously happy? Maybe it’s just me, but I can’t stop smiling when I see us. Love comes more easily when we practice and commit to being our best selves.

My favorite part? Our Joy Collective is not an exclusive group. Hit reply if you want to join and are looking for the next steps. Love is here for you too.