31/12/2025
Hogmanay morning and my final tea ceremony of the year.
This year has been one of shedding skins, softening and becoming.
For me, this festive period has been a real mixture of emotions ~ grief, loss, joy and gratitude Acutely missing my loved ones no longer here in a way I have never experienced. Tears flowing unexpectedly. The celebration and the deep sadness walking hand in hand.
I know Iâm not alone in the duality that this time of year brings.
What has stayed constant for me is my morning practice ~ bowl by bowl, breath by breath, returning to myself.
Today I sit in gratitude for the commitment, the consistency and the quiet courage itâs taken to keep showing up.
I donât yet know what my tea ritual will look like in a yearâs time, just as I donât yet know who I will be when I sit for my last morning practice of 2026.
But I trust the becoming.
May this turning of the year meet you gently, exactly where you are.
May you trust your becoming, even when you canât yet see the path.
Not to a new you ~ just to a truer you.
Hereâs to my last bowls of tea this year and to all the ways weâll continue to grow, release and return home to ourselves in 2026.
Lang may yer lums reek!
Much love, Karen đ«¶