My mission of spreading love and kindness has felt a lot harder lately. I’ve been struggling to show up here and have even thought to myself more than once, what’s the point?

Then for my 40^th birthday, I received a beautiful love letter from my friend Morgann. You might remember her from the blog she wrote about her word of the year inspiration.

Inside her letter were forty things she loves about me—forty pieces of love and kindness stitched together that reminded me that even when we can’t see the impact we’re making, it’s still there.

I wanted to share her words with you for two reasons: to remind all of us that showing up does make a difference, and to give you an example of the most unforgettable birthday gift you can give (yes, I’ve written about this before!).

Morgann turns 40 next week too, and I hope she knows everything she wrote to me, I could just as easily write back to her. And I let her know her words are carrying me through a time when I just don’t have the energy or inspiration to write my own. What a gift.

40 Things I Love About Ali

This is the best way I can think of to celebrate your birthday, and you!

1.      Your laugh – I can hear it even when we aren’t together!

2.      Your ability to connect with people so naturally (over rice and coloring, or after years of not speaking).

3.      Your earnest caring – the committed approach you take to everything that is important to you.

4.      The way you love your family and friends.

5.      The way you love Shiloh (and Max!).

6.      The way you can share your experiences to help others feel at ease.

7.      Your fortitude and your example of making difficult but healthy decisions in your life.

8.      Your observant nature and how you easily see the things that matter to others.

9.      The way you give!! Time, money, attention – you are the definition of generous!

10.  Your love of tactile things – books, antiques, snail mail, etc.

11.  That you understand the ebbs and flows of friendships.

12.  The way you helped rekindle our friendship!

13.  Your sense of humor.

14.  Your good humor.

15.  Your hospitality (and gluten-free breakfast menu!)

16.  The example you set with your business, charity donations, and making time for what’s important.

17.  The way the mail you send always shows up right when I need it.

18.  That you talk about grief.

19.  The way you make others feel like they aren’t alone.

20.  That you can sit at a café and read with a friend all afternoon (let’s do that again!!)

21.  The way you follow your own plan, heart, life.

22.  The way you prioritize the people and animals that matter to you.

23.  Your love for justice.

24.  Your love of equality.

25.  The way you LOVE!

26.  Your thoughtfulness – the way you curate things for people (mail, packages, trips, etc).

27.  The way we can pick up where we left off anytime.

28.  The way you’ll forgive a lapse of communication when life overwhelms me.

29.  Your ability to embrace the best of places and people.

30.  Your “old soul.”

31.  Your writing and creativity.

32.  The way your inside and outside beauty match so perfectly.

33.  Your investment in creating relationships with length and substance.

34.  The way you surprised me at my first faculty recital!

35.  The way you make me feel comfortable being myself (even when we were college freshmen!)

36.  Your ability to be fully yourself.

37.  The way you keep sharing about and talking about Amanda.

38.  The way you love Jalen.

39.  The way you encourage all of us to love more and give more.

40.  All of the joy and beauty you bring to the world just by being yourself!

You are an incredible person – I am so fortunate you are my friend, and so glad we reconnected. You inspire me endlessly, and that is not an exaggeration.

Thank you for being so earnest, funny, thoughtful, and amazing. I can’t wait to spend the next 40 years in your orbit learning from you, being inspired by you, and loving you!!

XO –

Morgann

Reading Morgann’s words was like picking up a mirror I stuffed in a drawer. So often, we’re quick to downplay our impact, to overlook the ways we matter to the people in our lives. 

This letter reminded me that showing up, even when it’s hard, still matters. That being myself, fully and unapologetically, can be a gift to others. And that sometimes the most powerful thing we can do for one another is simply to say, write, or show how we feel. Because love is the point, isn’t it?

With love,

Alison Rose

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