This Moved Me

As I head off on break for a few weeks to take some down time with family and to celebrate Christmas, I wanted to share an excerpt of the beautiful book Becoming Naomi Leon (by Pam Muños Ryan). Naomi - a young girl - along with her brother and Gram - head out to find their father in Mexico. Santiogo, her father, is an artist. And so is Naomi. And, like the process of creating her soap carvings - Naomi is also in the process of discovering herself. They are connected - our creations, and ourselves. (Listen here for the full excerpt.) "Each piece has a personality. Sometimes you can look at the wood and see exactly what it might be. The promise reveals itself early. Other times you must let your imagination dictate what you will find." Sometimes our talks go through a similar process. Sometimes the magic is revealed to us early. And other times, we have to keep carving until finally it makes itself clear. It's sometimes challenging, sometimes scary - and sometimes magical, easy, fated. This time of year more