1. Hard Work is Meaningful When It Serves the Whole

To produce a single pound of honey, bees visit two million flowers and fly over 90,000 miles. A single bee’s lifetime contribution? Just 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey. Their effort is small in isolation, but essential to the whole. It’s a reminder that the value of our work isn’t measured by quantity alone—it’s about what we build together.

It all started with a simple phone call. I was at the gym when a friend reached out, asking if I knew anyone interested in starting a local, food-centric farmers market in Boerne—or if I wanted to join her in creating one. Without hesitation, I said, “YES!” It had been a long-time dream of mine, and I knew just the right people to help make it happen.

There is something sacred about the space between old friends—the kind that doesn’t erode with time or distance but instead waits, intact, for the next moment you step into it together. It’s not just familiarity or shared history; it’s deeper than that. It’s the way conversation flows without hesitation, the way laughter comes from a place untouched by years apart. It’s picking up right where you left off, as if no time or space has passed at all. It’s a kind of restoration, a quiet recalibration of the soul.

I’m not much of an early riser—that’s more my husband’s rhythm. But on this particular morning, for our 24-hour getaway, I made an exception. We slipped out as the sun rose, hot cup of tea in hand, the world still quiet, and beelined to the beach. With only a day to spare, we wanted to make every moment count.

Becca Eirikson’s hands tell stories. Each bead she places, each shell she selects, carries meaning beyond the materials themselves. She learned this from her family, Blackfeet Natives, who taught her that working with one’s hands is a way to sit with emotions, to process, to heal. Beading is not just about creating, it’s about understanding.

Think about what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy.

LIFE comes at us full force these days. From societal pressures to being present on social media, from expectations at work to deciding what to make for dinner Every Single Night, managing the household schedule and ensuring everyone gets where they need to go, doing what needs to be done, our day-to-day existence can feel overwhelming and chaotic.