You Matter To Me Because I Matter To You!

Thank you for always helping me look up x

**You will find the audio/voicenote/mini podcast of this letter up above - It can keep you company on a walk, a stroll around the kitchen, accompany you while you clean the fridge out or maybe you’re on a bus journey - it’s all up above and I hope you enjoy x

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Hello my dear friends,

First off, I wish to thank all those who are part of my community newsletter here and also on my social homes particularly the Facebook Family and a big shout out to all who have bought the book in the past and particuarly to all who have purchased the ‘Keep Looking Up’ 2025 Calendar. Granny must be lit up in Heaven with all the fun, love and light we are creating here on earth in her memory.

If you are wondering what the calendar is, I’ll leave two links here which will explain all:

The calendar is here: www.livingandlaughingwithlou.com

And more införmation is here: Your last minute Christmas pressie is here :)

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I just wanted to pop in with a little letter to you before the full on Christmas fun begins this week and your inbox gets flooded. I wanted to write to you to thank YOU all for being here and for what a blessing you are in my life.

To all of you, who see my name arrive into your inbox, and then you open it and read it, I am so grateful to you. You are my lighthouses while I, a full time writer, sail the oceans looking to check where home is and to see the lights always on at the safe harbour that is YOU - means so much to me. It means everything.

I just want you to know how important you are to me. My community. My friends. My virtual family. You are everything to me…Since the air to my writing lungs are readers, you not only keep me focused and alive, but you keep my heart full and my energies pacing towards the next creation. If I was to describe you, I’m not sure I would have the words. I’ve met so many of you over the last couple of years, and to so many of you, I still have to meet, but in launching the calendar, I have been reminded how lucky I am to have the best supporters a writer could dream of. I truly am so grateful you came into my life and I will never forget how I started on this writing path. You saw my light on in my writing room into the late hours, and you stayed with me. You inspired me. You looked for me. You waited for me. You sat with me when my words were lost and you sat with me when tears fell on my page. You lifted my heart in ways I will never be able to repay you but I just want you to know how precious, how fragile and how sacred your support is to me.

I hope that you are doing ok at this time. I know so many of you are suffering and so many of you have asked me for prayers. I pray for each and everyone of you night, noon and morning. This morning in mass I looked up to the light of the sky and held ye deeply in my heart. There is so much pain out in the world right now. There is so much hurt. There are many who have heavy crosses on their shoulders and so many hearts are broken. Many minds are worried. Many familes and friends are looking around searching for hope and healing. I know how hard it is. I, myself, feel that deep strain that comes with living and loving in this world. One minute, everything can be ok, next minute it can be really hard. And no matter how we go about it, a lot of this life we cannot control. We must reliquish the innate human calling that leads us to think we can deny darkness nor sadness but instead face it with bravery. Acceptance is a powerful tool - easier said than done but once your mind shifts in that direction, we do get better at it. Then the next thing to ask ourselves is what can we contribute to this situation. Can we help it? Can we heal it? Can we hold it? or is it better to let it go. As the saying goes, let go and let god. As this year ends, I am leaning more into that - Letting Go and Letting God. Again, I acknowledge this is easier said than done but in trying we get better at this too. The next note to make is, how can we enjoy this world more even if we are burdened with heaviness. So on this aspect, I’ve decieded that I am not going to let another Christmas pass me that I wasn’t fully awake for. I want to notice all the small things. I want to look and witness the people I love light up. I really believe there is nobody that doesn’t have something bothering them so in this moment it is about trying our best to make the best of the occasion without missing it. The line I focus on is maybe next Christmas one of my favourite people will not be here so I must catch and breathe in every moment. I also remind myself that the person missing might be me too. Nothing in this life is a given and we must not take the air we breathe, the heart that beats or our health for granted for one second and it is in that sentiment I am determined to make the best of this Christmas that I can.

Over the last few days, whilst being busy stressing about calendars as well as having the best of fun with the calendar, I have been spending precious time with the people I love.

Last weekend I made a burst and put up all the lights up at the top of our avenue. All my family had gone away from the day so I put them up for a surprise for them on their return.

A beautiful bright night moon appeared while I was putting them up and I knew all my loved ones missing were nearby. My dad was infamous for dressing the house in lights and my brother Justin has been amazing to take on that role since. The year after dad died I knew nobody would be able to find that stregnth to put them up so I went out and bought a load of battery lights and decorated the top of the avenue to help ease the intense heart ache of our home. It was in my own way a dedication to my dad, and it was a message to all who passed our home that we may have been in the dark but we had not forgotten our light. Later that December Justin found the strength to put up the lights and from there we haven’t looked back. Ever since I decorate the top of the avenue and Justin takes on the house with my nephews helping hands and our wonderful neighbour Paddy Maguire - who we would be lost without!

See life will never stop throwing darkness at us. No matter how we run. No matter how we hide. No matter where we roam or where we sit, darkness is a very harsh and active part of our lives and our world. It is the other side of good. And where would we be without the full circle that is life. Well sadly and frankly, we cannot have happiness without sadness. We cannot know light without dark. We cannot have Christmas without the winter. We cannot know or be a friend without having lost a friend. The balance of this life is that like a good story, there are up’s and down’s and there are beginnings and there are endings…And even though I know as you read my words, your heart probably knows more darkness than light and when I say that I mean, if you are going through illness or grief right now or a struggle that is weighing you down, it can be very hard to see the light.

You might be thinking to yourself Lou, I can’t see the light because I am too sad and that I understand so well. At this time, I want you to be very gentle with yourself and I want you to allow me to hold the lantern of light, love and hope for you. I want to walk with you through this time and allow me to be your strength. I will be your reminder that you will get through this time. You will find those steps through and not to forget Christmas is but a day in the calendar. Approach it in anyway you need but please please reach out and send that message if you need a friend. I can promise you there are so many people who love your dearly and unconditionally and will only want like me, to be that shoulder to lean on, that hand to hold and that warm cosy hug of hope.

Life really is a tough cookie but we can get through this no matter what storms blow, no matter how rocky the seas get and no matter how hard we find it to look up, we can do it once we stick together. Together is the path through darkness. You hold a lantern for me. And I will hold a lantern for you.

Together we will travel through this path called life and together we will make memories that last a lifetime and memories that will forver burn like a candle to lead us through our next step.

Let me hold your hand as we head into the week before Christmas and be sure to know no matter what darkness comes, return here and read these words.

‘You matter to me. You matter to the people you love. You matter to the people who love you. You matter to your friends. To your neighbours. To the world! You are a bright beacon of light when you lean in and you are able to face anything that comes your way. Keep stepping forward, one step at a time, one day at a time, one hour at a time and keep looking up. Keep believing that once we hold on, we can find our way out of any heaviness and no matter what, everything will be ok in the end.’

Thank you for reading all the way down here or maybe you listened to my seventy five mistakes in the audio haha ;) Sorry about any mistakes in this text too but I know at this stage you are so used to me, your eyes probably just hop skip and jump over them becuase you know every word here was poured from my heart to yours.

I have been blessed with a very special and loving family. We, like every family, have met darknesses and sadnesses like all but I am so grateful to the family that love me so dearly and to who I love so dearly. I will miss so many people from my life this Christmas, but I know Gran, my dad and my dear friend Celine are shining down witnessing me trying my best. In this life, all we can do is our best and I thank you, my dear reader, for not only inspiring me but for loving me so.

From my heart to yours, I’ll leave you with a little video I put together of the kind of magic that my mam - Ollie - continues to inspire in our home and also our trip with my sisters kiddies to Santa on Friday night. I live by the fact that life is very fragile and I will always give my all to those that matter to me. I am someone who loves unconditionally but then again I am just following in the steps of those who brought me into this world. My dad and mam brought us up in love and for us, stuff is only stuff & the only thing that really matters is the people you love and the time you spend with them.

Love those you love a little more this Christmas and if you find yourself on your own, know that I love you and I will be looking at my christmas tree lights (like Lauren & Josh down below) and I will be thinking of you.

Lou x

Here the one minute video of all I’ve mentioned above x