hi, sweet friends. it’s been a bit quieter in my little corner of this strange but beautiful place called instagram over the last few weeks. but today, i just wanted to hop on and tell you how thankful i am for you — you, right here, looking at this photo and reading these words ♥️ especially those who’ve just recently started following along!
the last three weeks have been wildly difficult, painful & yet quietly hopeful. our days have been spent flitting between work, home and hospital rooms. we’ve walked deep in the valley — fearing, preparing, crying, praying. i’ve sat at my desk, listening to clients share their hurts & trauma, while my mum’s oncologist’s voice echoes in the warmth & creaks of my heart.
three years after her diagnosis —
a few weeks. maybe days.
there have been nights spent
sleeping in hospital rooms —
sweet caresses and gentle smiles
as we held her hands,
read her scripture &
entrusted her to Jesus as a family.
and yet, even as we’ve grieved,
God has been so so kind —
He’s given us time beyond
what even the doctors could have predicted.
and so, we’re okay.
she’s okay.
we’ll be okay.
because when the day comes,
she’ll be going home to Him —
and my goodness, heaven will be good.
i wanted to share this because
our lives aren’t all golden moments
& silly boomerangs,
despite what instagram might suggest.
in fact, here, in my little corner,
you always have an invitation
to ‘come in’ —
just as you are,
with your beauty & your brokenness.
here’s the door, open & inviting,
please don’t knock —
just come as you are,
i promise i have dirt on my feet
to match your own.
perhaps you can wash mine & i’ll wash yours.
this was the beginning for me. the starter kit you see in this photo — this was the beginning of saying no to the toxic chemicals that money-making beauty, cleaning and health companies have been pumping into the products that line our supermarket shelves and that end up in our home & in our bodies. this was the beginning of finding a better way. an infinitely better, more beautiful way. a way of making my own skincare, haircare and household cleaning products. a way of powerfully rebalancing and restrengthening my immune system, my hormones, my gut health and my emotional well-being.
and you know what? it could be your new beginning too. i’m here to walk with you every step of the way & let’s start by talking about the starter kit. check out my stories today for a run down on the greatest toolkit you can equip yourself with to care for your body, your mind and your soul with less toxins and more kindness. send me a DM if you want to know more ✨
there are some new friends around these parts and so i thought i’d share some sparknotes on myself with you lovely souls! hey, hi, hello! i’m courtney 👋 i’m an enneagram 1w2 and a myer briggs inf/tj — if you’re into personality tests, i’d LOVE to know what enneagram/myer briggs type you are (let me know in the comments) ✨
here’s a little about me:
+ i love Jesus and i believe that His steadfast & utterly radical love changes everything.
+ my husband and i got married last november and we believe in sharing both the deep joys & growing pains of marriage 💫
+ i’m a lawyer & i also work as a photographer/writer on the side, and i’m so grateful that i get to pursue so many of my passions all at once.
+ i also spend a lot of my time helping people to pursue natural & sustainable living/wellness with essential oils and other non-toxic products.
+ i feel most myself when i’m welcoming loved ones into our home or adventuring on mountaintops and coastal cliffs as the sun sets.
+ wellness, sustainability and vulnerability are some of my most favourite things to talk and think about ✨
+ plants are always a good idea (in houseplant and essential oil form!) 🌿
+ thrifting, homemaking and cooking/baking are my jam!
+ i write and create to make sense of the world (or to find peace when it can’t make sense)
+ i drink water and tea obsessively 🙊
+ i have a strong sense of justice and right/wrong, which means that when i believe in something, i believe in it and fight for it hard 🙌🏻
+ my style is cozy, bohemian, neutral & vintage.
+ all about soft sweaters, soft blankets & soft hearts.
+ i have a love/hate relationship with this weird instagram space but in all that i do here, i want to be known & i want you to be known too ✨
on that note, i’m so happy and honoured that you’re here ❤️ what do we have in common?!
there have been kinder months
than the last.
the views from the valley
have wearied my gaze.
but i've heard of a finale,
that will redeem all our sad days.
was i ready for it?
probably not — definitely not.
but are we ever ready for anything?
will i ever be completely ready —
to say goodbye to my beautiful mama
& her kind, compassionate and endlessly wise eyes?
to become a mama without her?
to watch my one-day daughters become mamas to their own daughters?
probably not — definitely not.
because ready is a lie
and it steals
our hopes & our dreams.
and it paralyses
our feet from moving.
and it cripples
our hearts from believing that life is most beautiful
when living in the unknown.
ready is for people who trust in themselves,
who want to live small & safe lives.
freedom is for people who trust
in the One who made them,
who want to live lives
too big, too beautiful, too full
to be ’ready’ for.
diffusing for grief —
i’ve been reaching a lot for emotional support oils lately because there have been some really big, grieving, heavy, crushing feelings weighing on my heart recently while walking through the valley, hand-in-hand with my family. i love that i can tailor my diffuser blends to meet whatever needs we have.
i used to be convinced that using oils for emotions was psychosymptomatic to the max — until i used them. now, i’ll never go without them. they’ve helped me feel the peace & joy & presence of God like nothing else.
did you know that inhaling essential oils stimulates your olfactory system (the part of your brain connected to smell) and as the tiiiiny molecules reach your brain (by penetrating the blood-brain barrier), they affect your limbic system and amygdala. your limbic system is linked to your emotions, heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, memory, stress & hormone balance. one of the ONLY ways to stimulate and bring about changes in your emotional brain is through smell!
i’m so grateful to God for how he’s given us such powerful, natural ways to support our hearts in every season of life. diffusing not only smells amazing (and frees your home from the toxic carcinogens in scented candles & air fresheners), but also supports you in the ways that you need — whether that be by calming anxiety, increasing mental clarity & focus, lifting your mood, waking you up, winding you down, getting you to sleep & so 👏 much 👏 more 👏! basically, whatever you need — there’s an oil for it.
here’s a little cheat sheet for emotional & wellness support for you:
⋒ PEACE — lavender, stress away, northern lights black spruce, white angelica
⋒ FOCUS — frankincense, rosemary, vetiver, orange, peppermint, lemon
⋒ ENERGY — peppermint, citrus oils, basil, geranium, en-r-gee
⋒ JOY — citrus oils, joy, valor, spearmint, inner child
⋒ WELL — thieves, r.c., oregano, frankincense
⋒ REST — chamomile, cedarwood, dream catcher, patchouli
which oils sound the most-needed to you and your heart? ✨
(read to the end! ✨) just a friendly reminder that you have the power to make your own everyday products & remedies — from immunity/sleep/hormone support to perfume to body wash to face serum to household cleaner. it’s cheaper, simpler & SO MUCH BETTER FOR YOUR BODY. the average woman puts 515 synthetic chemicals on her body daily (often without realising that they’re toxic) — chemicals that are straight-up linked to cancer & infertility & headaches & pms & the list goes on, but i will spare you.
i never want to share this information from a fear-based approach, but rather, an honesty-based approach. the honest truth is — these companies are not looking out for your health. they don’t care about your dreams of becoming a mum or of living a long, joy-filled life with your loved ones and what synthetic fragrance/phthalates/triclosan/sodium lauryl sulfate might do to interfere with that. they care about $$$. our country is getting sicker & more medicated. and i’ll keep talking about this until the day i die, because i want you & your family & friends to live vibrant, healthy lives. and i want to help you to do that! because — is there really any time for anything else?
