News + New Good Things from Tia Norman

"Holy Surrender transcends all ordinary and selfish desires. It quells our lower nature and makes us answer to the spirit and serve each other. This level of submission subject to us and to everyone on earth, and not only human beings, but to all the creatures as well and to the wild animals."

-St. Francis of Assisi (Mirabai Starr) Brother of Creation

Peaceful, Centered + Connected

Grief and anger.

I encounter these emotions most often when I accompany others as a spiritual director. A variety of circumstances, conditions, and conditioning exist that have made grief and anger feel like things to either pass through quickly or avoid feeling altogether. One of the privileges of being a spiritual companion is the mutual discovery and experience revealed when there is space to slow down, welcome the discomfort, and validate the feelings, as the heart navigates the valve of conscious, compassionate expression and release.

I keep this knowing close to my heart as I navigate parenthood. I ask myself: If I were to sit with my adult children ten years from now, would they trust that something inside of them is big enough to alchemize their biggest feelings? Would they see their anger and grief as foreign, or would they see them as intricately woven into the beauty of being human, whole and as guideposts pointing back home?

Grief and anger find us in a myriad of ways: disagreements, endings, hard right choices.

It’s the latter that I write to you about today, as our family recently faced the difficult decision of rehoming one of our dogs. We’ve known the heartbreak of losing pets due to age and illness. As animal lovers, choosing and trusting this hard, right choice was a new one for us. The reality is, sending something good away does not feel good, even when it’s for the best. This is our learning: We can love deeply and still let go.

There is a specific way we are tending to this transition in our home, and as I was thinking about what I would share with you, it dawned on me that maybe these prompts that currently live on notebook paper on our kitchen counter might be of support to you in your moments of hard right choice.

The idea is pretty straightforward. Write them down, keep a pen nearby, treat the prompts as fill-in-the-blanks, and take the liberty to jot down things as they arise, knowing big emotions are not bound by time.

Feel free to make these your own.

That was ___________

I feel ___________

What I will miss most about _______________ is___________

What I need most right now is ___________

What I want to say that I haven’t said is ___________

I hope ___________

With you on the journey.

Grace + Ease,

Tia

A right time to hold on and another to let go...

Eccesiastes 3

New Good Things

2026 Winter Solstice Examen

This unique session invites you to embrace the tranquility of the day of the longest night and the contemplative practice of Examen, offering a guided exploration of the past year's joys, challenges, and growth. Connect with the profound significance of the winter solstice while delving into the transformative power of introspection. This gathering creates space for personal insight, fostering a sense of renewal and readiness for the year ahead.