Hello to you, Chelsea & Taft's beloved friends and family -

I'm Melissa Lucas, and I've known Chelsea since we were 18 years old. She is one of my dearest friends and, like you, I am continually inspired by her generous heart, her loving spirit, and brilliant mind. You may know, or this may be the first you are hearing, that Chelsea's husband Ryan is divorcing her.

The centuries-old Japanese art form of Kintsugi (“golden joinery”) or Kintsukuroi (“golden repair”) offers a striking analogy for this period of time for our dear friend Chelsea. The reality of a life once thoughtfully created and made with and in love has been broken. The why and the how don’t matter as much as the task ahead – taking the shards of what used to be and using gold to mend the pieces into a new life and a new future.

The Kintsugi tradition celebrates the history, emphasizes the imperfections, and accepts the change of a life that unexpectedly needs to be repaired. It’s a beautiful approach and philosophy that highlights the beauty and perfection that is, paradoxically and almost impossibly, born out of brokenness.

I know this will be true for Chelsea and Taft.

As Chelsea continues this golden journey of transition, healing, and (re)creation she needs our help - her belongings have been more or less seized and her assets have more or less been frozen until the divorce litigation has concluded. While she is applying to jobs daily and looking for contract work until permanent employment is secured, expenses are mounting.

The thought of undertaking this task without finances to your name may be overwhelming to read and consider – it was for me – and yet this is our dear friend’s reality in this moment. Please consider what "gold" you have to offer her at this time. If financial support is beyond your current means, please consider spiritual support in the form of prayers, books of prose and poetry, love letters, and warm meals for her and her sweet boy.

Having watched Chelsea pick herself up and grow stronger after several challenges she’s encountered in her short lifetime thus far, I’m not just confident that she will get through this, I am eager to see the beautiful golden creation of a life that is born out of this temporary state of brokenness.

Please keep Chelsea and Taft in your prayers.

Warmly,

Melissa