“To be loved is to be known, and to be known is to be loved.”

—Henri Nouwen

WHAT’S GOOD

🍳 New at One Another Coffee: The Local Void Pop-Up

We're excited to kick off our first-ever food vendor pop-up at One Another Coffee! On Sunday, April 12th from 8 AM - 1 PM, The Local Void will be set up next to the trailer serving made-to-order breakfast sandwiches with some seriously creative flavor combinations.

Choose from the Brisket Sandwich—coffee-crusted brisket, vegan black truffle aioli, jalapeño maple BBQ, egg, and smoked cheddar on an everything bagel—or the Vegan Sandwich—smoked tofu and portobello cap, vegan black truffle aioli, sun-dried tomato pepper pesto, arugula, and red onion on focaccia. Both come with herb potato wedges and chipotle pickle ketchup, and everything is locally sourced. Whether you're a meat lover or plant-based, there's something here worth showing up for.

In the Depth of Care

Taylor Bates, Deputy Director, Sunset Ridge Collective

This past weekend, Sprouts School—the nature-based preschool on our campus—hosted its very first fundraiser, an evening that felt, in every way, like a reflection of the community that makes this place so special.

The event was beautifully brought to life by a group of Sprouts moms who, in the midst of their already full lives, organized something truly meaningful. There was a lovely pasta dinner prepared by Sprouts parents Dane and Monica of Kibodeaux Catering, music provided by members of Ms. Linda’s (the school’s founder and director) family, and a collection of the most charming raffle items—many handmade by families, alongside thoughtful experience packages donated by local nonprofits and museums.

It was one of those evenings where you could tangibly feel the care and creativity woven into every detail.

Of all the raffle items, there was one I most hoped to win: a small painting made by the Sprouts School class pets.

Weeks earlier, my son JoJo had come home enthusiastically telling us how Darwinia the bearded dragon, Squirt the turtle, and Apples the guinea pig had each “painted” by walking across canvases with paint on their feet. At the time, I didn’t realize that painting would become part of the fundraiser—but when I saw it on the raffle table, I placed several tickets in the jar and, to my delight, ended up winning it.

I was especially grateful because JoJo is in a tender season right now. As one of the very first students—back even before it was called Sprouts School—this place has been home for him since he was just eight months old. And now, with graduation approaching and kindergarten on the horizon, he’s beginning to feel the weight of that transition.

After a recent visit to his new school, he told us he felt “a little bit scared and a little bit anxious.” We reminded him that even grownups feel that way when something new is coming—and that sometimes those feelings sit right alongside excitement. He understood, but the questions kept coming: When am I going? Time doesn’t quite make sense to him yet, and the waiting has been hard.

So that night, when we brought the painting home, something shifted.

JoJo lit up. He held it close, studied it, and then asked if he could sleep with it in his bed. That small, paint-covered canvas—made by the creatures he’s cared for and learned alongside—became something like a comfort blanket, a tangible reminder of a place that has loved him well.

And maybe that’s what this story is really about.

Sprouts School is, in so many ways, remarkably sweet. Not just in its creativity or its charm, but in the depth of care that defines it. Ms. Linda and the teachers don’t just educate these children—they know them, walk with them, and gently prepare them for what’s next. They are already helping JoJo and his graduating classmates navigate this transition, reminding them that wherever they go, they are still known here, still welcomed here, still deeply loved.

As a parent, there’s nothing more meaningful than that.

And as a community, it’s something worth celebrating.