Hello from a distinctly-more-wintry-feeling PNW. Maybe it’s just my imagination, but ever since the winter solstice, the air has felt a bit more brisk, the wind has carried a bit more kick; and honestly, I’m loving the opportunity to bundle up and hunker down.

I’ve been thinking a lot this last week about the year that’s passed. For me and Jamie, it was a big year —
we moved to a whole new state,
bought an old house,
learned a bunch of renovation skills working on said old house,
made a couple new records,
set out on what ended up being our longest tour season ever,
and then came home and dove into new ventures that have been cooking on back burners for a while, like the new podcast we started this fall.

And that’s just our story. Every pair of eyes reading this letter right now has seen their own story unfold this past year as well. We’ve had the privilege of intersecting with a lot of them. People who …

welcomed the birth of their new child,
grieved the death of their lifelong partner,
celebrated the daily victory of their recovery,

relinquished a relationship that was no longer serving them,
toiled in their campaign to create a more just society,
persevered in the presence of their chronic illness,

ventured to start their own business,
found their voice as they created beauty in their art studio,
wrestled with their old ways and made way for new ones,

… and showed up to their lives in big and small ways, every day of 2018.

Can I just say … it is an incredible pleasure to know you.

You give us courage to keep doing what we do; you challenge us to think more critically and feel more deeply; you make lasting impressions on our hearts, on our work, and in our lives.

Thank you … for allowing us into your lives as you have this year. For welcoming our music into your ears, and for weaving a bit of your story together with ours. We are so grateful.