Issue #102 | January 9th, 2026 | Previous issues​

​

Hey Reader,

First order of business...my newsletter template is different.

If there's one consistent truth about life, it's change. Change (and death) are great equalizers, aren't they? No one escapes either.

Change, however, invites you to reflect, grow, and progress. Yet not everyone chooses those things, which is why I'd like to validate you.

YOU are a beautiful human because you love growth. How do I know that?

Because otherwise you wouldn't be here with me. You'd be numbing out, not reading my newsletters which invite you to slow down, think, feel, write, and often heal.

So yeah, it's true and I'm grateful for you.

​

Stay without losing yourself

I'm simplifying my life to be truer to who I'm growing into: someone who shows up quietly and reflectively, with deep caring and authentic presence.

And not just for others. For myself too.

Not because I always know what I'm doing, because I'm right, perfect, or efficient.

But because I care, and I want my intention to be love.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how we show up for people — and how easy it is to confuse care with control, exhaustion with abandonment, or worth with output.

I’ve been watching patterns unfold in my own family, and suddenly I can see them stretching back generations.

Some people stay busy, loud, and focused on the world outside themselves — news, drama, opinions — anything that keeps them from facing what’s happening inside them.

Others try for a long time… and then quietly give up. They withdraw. They hide. They disappear emotionally, though they're physically present.

I can feel the pull of both.

There are days I want to run.

There are days I want to force connection and fight.

There are days I want to hide under my bed covers and never come out.

But none of that works.

What I keep coming back to is my dad (he not only subscribes but actually reads these, go DAD! 😃).

My dad was never loud. Never controlling. He doesn't make emotional demands. He simply shows up — quietly, consistently — in small ways that add up over time. Never asking anything in return. (Just ask any of his friends.)

Because of that, there’s a steady voice in me that just knows: He’s there. I don’t have to perform. Or be different. Or ask perfectly.

That's the kind of presence that builds trust.

Not control.
Not sacrifice.
Not fixing.
Not forcing people to meet us where we are.

Just staying — without disappearing, and without losing yourself.

This applies to parenting, marriage, friendships — and maybe most importantly, to how we treat ourselves.

Maybe the work is to practice quiet consistency — with others and with ourselves.

Not proving.
Not disappearing.
Not over-functioning.

Just staying — rooted, honest, and intact.

Learning how to stay without abandoning yourself.

​

A Gentle Journaling Prompt 📒

Pick one that resonates most. Don't over think it. Just write freely and honestly.

• Where in my life am I confusing care with effort?
• Where am I currently over-functioning to feel safe or loved?
• What is one small way I could stay present without doing more?
• What would it look like to show up without fixing, disappearing, or performing?

There’s no rush here.

Awareness is the work.

We’ll keep learning this together, one small moment at a time.

​

With love,

Anna Celotto

P.S. If you’re in a season of learning how to stay without over-functioning, you’re not behind. You’re right on time.

​aferalhousewife.com​