Musings
11/5/25
Grandma’s nudge and death as an illuminator.
I’ve been finding myself impatient at times—shorter with others, or caught in my head more than I’d like. The weather, long workdays, earlier darkness—the story of why never truly matters, yet it still gives me something to think about. Endlessly. Left unchecked, my mind could analyze for days. Choosing to pull the weeds or move to another row, so to speak, doesn’t happen on its own; it requires intention.
Tapping into my heart helps me recognize when I’m where I’m meant to be—not just rising above or gaslighting myself, but feeling grounded in what’s real. When I do, I start remembering recent days: doing a little jig at work, watching pelicans along the highway, meeting parents, students, and colleagues—present, open. There were genuine moments of connection, peace, and sweetness. They linger, just as the moments of impatience linger too. All of these moments have their place. They belong. They are some of the many seeds of awareness we consider as we reflect on the past season and our opportunities for growth.
This season offers so many rituals of honoring—Samhain, Halloween, Día de los Muertos—all celebrating passing, transition, death, and life. Nature’s decay mirrors this beautifully, deciduous trees giving us so much to appreciate. Autumn’s colors inspire soft, resonant “mmm”s as we take in their radiance. They continue to take our breath away even as they fade into death—if only we humans could die so gracefully. What a gift it is to be reminded of how beautiful death can be.
And somehow, as the leaves fall, we remember their earlier majesty—in full photosynthetic glory, vibrant and alive, offering shade and shimmer. What a gift it is to be among trees; they make death look brilliant. And perhaps, in witnessing death, we are reminded of life.
I pulled out the few images I have of my ancestors. I added a picture of my brother and a younger version of myself as a mother, surrounded by my little family—including my son, now a grown man. These photographs have come to represent all of my ancestors—known and unknown, pictured and unseen. The image of Collin reminded me that I, too, am someone’s ancestor. Seeing my grandma Gladys on the table these past few days has made her presence feel nearer. Perhaps it was she who nudged me toward the pelicans. If so—thank you, Grandma.
How do we honor who we are now—our living, breathing, sometimes impatient selves?
How can we express gratitude for our immense learning and growth?
How can you honor who is being expressed through you?
How does connecting with your heart guide you?
What is this time of year illuminating for you?
What are you healing so your grandchildren won’t have to?
Past Musings
9/30/25 – Harmony within the Chaos
TESTIMONIALS – “Before working with Jenny-Lynne, I was feeling overwhelmed and “stuck” because of my work-life imbalance. Through thought-provoking exercises that encouraged self-examination, I gained more clarity of my situation by evaluating my values and developed a plan and felt encouraged to begin adjusting my life to align with my values more clearly. Now, I’m living a more balanced life and I’m feeling more positive about the choices that I am making because my choices are now based on my core values. I would highly recommend Jenny-Lynne to anyone who is feeling that they need coaching to work through a life challenge because the questions I was presented with provided a new perspective for me to view and work through the challenges I had. ” ~Amanda
“Working with Jenny was a really excellent experience. During our time together I was able to put some major life changes into perspective and create tools to understand what I needed, and more importantly, how to identify when I was on the right path, or not. Since coaching, I have been able to take large decisions a bit more deliberately, allowing room for my emotions to inform my decisions, helping me find a path I am wholly happy with. Really listening to my body, my emotions, and aligning my head and heart is not something I had tried before. It’s definitely still a work in progress. I was able to create useful tools during our sessions, and I still use those tools today.
Honestly, this was a very challenging experience for me. I have been through a few years of therapy after my divorce, and that somehow felt easier! In the case of therapy, there was a problem, and I got to work through to a solution. In the case of working with Jenny, I wasn’t there for such a specific reason, exactly, just that I wanted to be able to find more ease, more assuredness in my life decisions. In the beginning it all felt a bit ‘wobbly’ I suppose, but that’s why it was so challenging.
I really enjoyed how great of a listener Jenny is, and it was great how she did guiding me through the process. It felt hard, I think because she really gave me space to come up with the goals of the sessions. That felt uncomfortable at times, but was necessary, and is part of the work!
I would recommend this kind of coaching to anyone who wants to dig into what isn’t working in their lives, (especially) even if it is something that is just ‘fine’. I think this kind of coaching would work great for anyone wanting to add more joy or ease into their lives. I think just about everyone can benefit from this work. I don’t think folks realize how much better things can be if you do the hard work of asking all the questions, and coming up with the answers, as opposed to just going along with old habits. As for a specific demographic, anyone going through a life change (even a small one) could especially benefit. Maybe people finishing school, changing jobs, or coming up on a large life decision.” ~Jenna
UPCOMING – Monthly multigenerational mentor groups, women connecting with women who are invested in their own health, wealth, wisdom and self-discovery through community. Witnessing and showing up for others is the path forward. Please let me know if you are interested in this budding community.
