It's been a lot lately.

But / And / Also our gifts do matter.

Dear Reader,

I don't have to tell you that the energy this past week feels pretty heavy for a holiday season, or that there's been heartbreak.

I do think hard times can clarify why our gifts matter.

And it's not always what we might think.

Embracing our gifts is the subject of my latest podcast episode, featuring Bev Barnes, a Master Life Coach who helps women recognize the fullness of our gifts (versus assigned roles).

I had only a brief interaction with Bev Barnes during Master Coach training. She reviewed one of my assigned projects and point blank called me a teacher. And that was a gift I was shying away from, when I was trying to make myself purely a life coach.

Apparently woman in life coach training often silence ourselves. Bev dedicates her work to helping women stop doing that.

​Listen here; read on for why this matters so much.

Our gifts do good work—in our own lives and the world.

Over the weekend, this point was driven home in a sad way.

Looking back at the life of Rob Reiner, whom I watched playing Meathead on All in the Family as a kid, and whose films I adored into adulthood, I'm reminded that he did whatever spoke to him. Imagine if he'd believed he had to remain an actor, rather than embracing the full range of his gifts and what fascinated him. Including his commentary on Twitter. I saw him as my teacher.

When he embodied those gifts, he told stories that changed us.

I didn't know that The Princess Bride was initially considered a critical flop. I saw it in the theater and only knew that I loved it. During college, friends and I traded lines from When Harry Met Sally, and not even, usually, that famous scene with that iconic punchline, delivered by Rob Reiner's mother, but so many more.

When I want a model for narrative arc, When Harry Met Sally is golden. Even the soundtrack tells a great story. For a master class on creative collaboration, pair it with the DVD bonus feature film where Nora Ephron and Rob Reiner talk about the film's origins.

The lessons came from the heartbreak in each of their lives.

Mercifully, Rob Reiner didn't shrink away from his gifts. He used them generously to lift people up, consistently, over his lifetime.

What a loss. And what a blessing he was too.

It occurs to me that, just as my path to becoming a life coach has added up to much more, Meathead was a small part of who Rob Reiner became. But thank goodness he had that experience.

All those small moments add up to a rich body of work.

So... if you have stories that feel compelling to you, but not complete enough to tell the WHOLE story, what if you were to finally, finally listen and let yourself tell all the beautiful parts in due time, but starting exactly where your feet are right now?

We're counting on you.

Travel safely.

Love, Amy

PS—I'll be back in the New Year with new ways to spark creativity and find your stories. For now, I wish you a peaceful and joyous holiday season in spite of, and honoring, our heartbreak.

I'm Amy Hallberg, author of Tiny Altars: A Midlife Revival and the IPPY Award Winning German Awakening: Tales from an American Life. I'm also a podcaster, editor, and writing mentor. Contrary to the address below, I'm a lifelong Minnesotan in the Twin Cities.

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