Grace in the Chaos

This morning started with a classic frustration: while taking out the trash—an already annoying chore—the bag ripped open and spilled all over the kitchen floor. Normally, this would have set a sour tone for my entire day. But something unexpected happened.

In that chaotic moment, I heard the gentle echo of Gemma’s voice in my head saying, “It’s ok, accidents happen!” Instead of spiraling, I paused, took a deep breath (another one of Gemma’s pearls of wisdom), and simply cleaned up the mess. My morning stayed intact.

As the day went on, her words lingered. I was reminded of another friend who used to tell me, “There aren’t bad or good news, there’s just news.” That idea has always stuck with me—how much power we actually have in shaping our experiences. When we label events as “bad,” we give them permission to affect us negatively. But what if we paused, reframed, and responded instead of reacted? That moment in the kitchen wasn’t just about spilled trash. It was a small but powerful reminder that life is full of ups and downs, and our true strength lies in how we choose to respond. Grace under pressure. Acceptance instead of resistance. These little shifts in mindset are what keep us grounded when things get messy—literally and metaphorically.

Life is full of little disruptions and unexpected turns. But there’s real strength in facing those moments with calm, with grace—even humor. Because in the end, everything really will be alright.

Love, Gemma and Jules’s mom