Me, Jen.

Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air…

Emerson

My name is Jen. My friends from Bakersfield, where I grew up, call me Jenny. My husband calls me Baby and my class knows me as Mrs. Mounday. I wear many hats and I know I will wear many more in the future.

I wish to live my life;

live. my. life.

After all, I’ve only got one.

I want to create an open free space, where loved ones (and even unloved ones) can enter in, be themselves, and offer what they have; unique an precious gifts. I want to receive these gifts, with my whole self. I want to practice hospitality.

I wonder what it takes to be truly at peace with myself, my body, my circumstances, my God.

I fear the state of disillusionment; waking up one morning to find it’s not as I thought, someone is not who they claimed to be.

I like simple pleasures: sweet smelling candles, old, musty books, really cold ice cream, soft music at night, fresh-cut cilantro, a meal with friends, hikes that rejuvenate the body, trail runs that rock the lungs, cinnamon in my coffee, bleach-white bed sheets, massage, baby skin, mason jars, raw honey, fish bowls, book clubs, spoken word.

I believe in healing. Healing through touch, prayer and laughter. Our lives have been damaged, but they can be renewed.  I believe in the Holy Spirit. I believe in loving my body, embracing it, using it as a tool to take myself places, to feel and engage. I believe in being truly present, putting down the cell phone and speaking the truth.

I love family. I love my kindreds, they are few, but they’re worth more that gold for they see me as I am.

I plan to stay put for a while, practice a virtue I’ve always wrestled with, patience. I think good things come to those who wait, so I am waiting for just the right opportunities to come.