Rilke said I live my life in widening circles that reach out across the earth; and when I read that I think of her. I think about the way her life still moves throughout her village, and how that village still moves in her. It’s a beautiful thought- widening our spirits across oceans and lands, to influence and be influenced…to love and be loved…to give life, and to receive it.

It deepens who we are. And perhaps the deeper we become, the more we’re able to understand the gravity of every experience we have, whether it be in small moments or monumental ones.

I’ve known Jess to become more and more appreciative, the wider her circles become. And perhaps that’s because she really does understand the impact of the things we see and the people we meet. I think most good things flow out of gratefulness, which is why I pray it over my own daughters so often. Our capacity for love and compassion, our happiness, and our ability to worship all increase exponentially when we’re thankful.

So cheers, to coming full circle, and to the deepening that is born out of widening.

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.

–T.S. Eliot