Me & U: A Heartfelt Message

A prayer of love and wish for togetherness

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Love is in the air (and in our windows and food)…can you feel it? I sure hope so. 

Once again, our resident beauty-maker Myoshin Thurman knocked it out of the park with her creations. Though always stunning and love at first sight, beneath each and every item placed in her displays is a piece of her heart and great intention of meaning and significance. I am always in awe and can’t even begin to tell you how much joy I derive from witnessing the joy others derive from it in—one Instagram-able moment after the other. She is an endless source of creativity for which I feel so blessed. 

Just when I am saddened to take down her Christmas magic…she bestows more splendor upon us which I have to say, definitely helps us get through the cold, harsh, gray days of winter. 

And the harshness of our world right now. 

I know, it’s easy to get swept away in the trivializations of Valentine’s Day; red roses, foiled heart-shaped chocolates (vegan of course) and sentimental cards. Aside from the over-commercialization of the holiday, I think love should be celebrated…every day! In fact, I think we could all use a good dose of it right about now, more than ever. 

When I first caught a glimpse of the focal point of one of our windows; a hand-carved gold heart that read, “Me & U”…my heart smiled. Yes, Me & U, the sound of sweetness when I said it aloud, a lullaby of the soul…because we are so much better together. The world, like the brutal weather we have been experiencing here recently in the Hudson Valley, has felt hard. I’ve personally never witnessed such divide and intolerance than I have the past two years…and it saddens me. This side/that side. I’m right/You’re wrong. Do it my way/do it my way.

I know that fear is at its core, but divisiveness never solves anything. My prayer is that these hearts sprinkled about during this holiday throughout my café and sweet little town, bring us back to our own hearts. And that a piece of that is taken back with all who visit here.

May we remember the power of connection, compassion and love for each other.

May we remember to feel and intuit our way through life.

May we let go of the need to be right and may we find a way back to conversation so we can learn from each other. 

May we forgive and respect. 

May we keep our hearts open and tender.

May we celebrate our differences and find our commonalities.

May we let go of labels and “isms”: sexism, racism, now vax-ism.

May we find our way back to one another and remember how good it feels to be alive, to be joyful and laugh from deep within.

And may we cease from all that divides. 

It’s OK to be afraid, confused, angered, disappointed, vulnerable…we are human and we get triggered. But may it shine the light upon what needs to be healed not further hurt. May we see ourselves within each other, may we recognize that we are all a bit of God’s grace personified. 

May we come back together. 

I don’t know about you, but my nervous system has been through the ringer the past two years navigating the news, the mandates, the illness, the fear—the mean posts, the finger-pointing, the ugliness of divide. It was a lot to keep up for all of us. I don’t care what “team” you are on, it didn’t feed the spirit.

I’ve struggled with my own self-care in lieu of putting out fires and it’s catching up with me. Keeping a business and staff together has never been so challenging. But if we are truly going to put “health” into our healthcare, we’ve got to remain dedicated to not only what we take in and the quality of our food, we need to move our bodies and be conscious of the energy we breathe in and exhale for others. 

It’s important to be mindful of what we focus on. Personally, I’m stepping out of the fear of it all and instead taking it one day at a time; feeding souls and self. I’m taking my fear out of the pollution and focusing on the light within others. 

How wonderful if we could find a way to keep our hearts open and tender—and get back to love. 

So, in the spirit of Valentine’s Day…may you find your way back to true love, the real life force of the planet—and may you share it and receive it back in return. 

I am so blessed to have U in my life. Yes, Me & U…we are better together for sure.

— Lea Haas, Owner, The Garden Cafe Woodstock

“If you want to be more alive, love is the truest health."

~ Rumi