Let it land: On receiving and letting yourself be held
Hey friend, it’s Mel again.
Last week, I shared a glimpse into my slow emergence from a long season of grief.
And something else has been stirring with this shift…
Receiving.
Not just the idea of it, but the actual practice. Letting myself be held. Letting the gifts land. Letting my body soften in response to kindness without rushing to offer something back.
Because the truth is… I’ve been supported in ways that are absolutely humbling and bring me to tears.
I've recently walked through a threshold where I've literally not known what was next. Where I felt undone by the weight of life. And in that space, my people, my community, rose to meet me.
They brought meals, offered help, sent flowers, whispered prayers.
And I felt this part of me scrambling to figure out how I would pay it all back. As if receiving were only valid if I gave something in return right away.
But then something softened.
And I realized...
It’s not really receiving if I am already trying to repay it.
It’s not truly receiving if I do not allow the gift to land.
So instead of rushing to repay the goodness, I’ve been letting myself celebrate it. I’ve been noticing the impulse to give back, and gently pausing instead. Letting gratitude fill my whole being.
Letting this beautiful love be real for and in me.
Because I know this is sacred too.
To be poured into.
To be helped.
To be literally held up by others.
Maybe you know this feeling too?
The desire for help…
And the discomfort when it arrives.
Especially in motherhood, this dance is sooo familiar. We’re praised for doing it all. So when support shows up, it can feel… like too much. Like we are too much.
We ache for help, and then feel guilt when it arrives.
We long to be held, but shrink when someone shows up.
It’s vulnerable to receive. To admit we can't nor were meant to do it all alone. To remember that we don’t need to earn love, only allow it. To open ourselves to receiving not as weakness, but as strength.
So today, I just wanted to say this.. Whatever season you are in, if you have friends, family and community that want to sow into your life receive and celebrate this gift. Trust that you are good ground, and that every seed sown into your life is sure to bring a harvest.
Mama.. I hope you let the following sink deep.
You’re allowed to receive.
Without apology.
Without guilt.
Without needing to be better first.
Let the kindness in.
Let the support soften you.
Let the beauty of being held absolutely change you.
You are allowed to let love land.
With love,
Mel
