🌿 Claiming the Quiet Yes: The Moment All Things Joyful Came Back to Life
For years, my life belonged to everyone else.
I had tried to start All Things Joyful back in the spring of 2020 — full of hope, full of plans — and then the world stopped. After that, life kept unfolding in ways that asked more of me than any business ever could. I cared for my dying mother. I fostered two young nephews. And eventually, I moved into my son’s home to become a live‑in nanny for my grandchildren. It was a season of deep responsibility, love, and showing up — day after day, year after year — until the youngest finally reached school age this fall.
I had already decided what would come next. To supplement my income and honor my lifelong love of travel, I planned to onboard with a travel consortium and begin working as a travel consultant. It felt practical. It felt steady. It felt like the right next chapter.
But then something unexpected happened — something small, quiet, and powerful enough to wake up an old dream I thought I had tucked away for good.
Even though I hadn’t been active as a humanist celebrant for years, my name was still listed with the Humanist Society. And one afternoon, out of nowhere, an email arrived from a family here in Lansing. They had found my name and wondered if I could curate a baby naming ceremony for them.
I felt a spark — a real, unmistakable spark — the moment I read it.
After speaking with them, the timing aligned, the availability was there, and I said yes. And as soon as I did, the wheels began turning. What if I didn’t just say yes to this ceremony? What if I said yes to the dream I set aside? What if All Things Joyful wasn’t something I abandoned… but something waiting for me to come back?
What if this was the moment to begin again?
Where bubbles, sunlight, and shared laughter whispered the quiet yes that brought All Things Joyful back to life.
✨ What a Milestone Architect Is
As I was researching how to define this new business idea, I came across the term Milestone Architect — and immediately felt that full‑body yes. That’s what I want to be. Someone who curates the most memorable, meaningful, and joyful moments in a person’s life, shaped with intention and tailored to their own uniqueness.
“Extraordinary moments deserve extraordinary marking.”
I’m not just an officiant — I’m a celebrant, someone who honors who you are. I’m not just a planner — I’m someone who curates the kind of moment that stays with you forever. I’m not just a travel consultant — I’m someone who sends you on a journey of discovery.
I am all of those things, but most importantly, I am someone who helps people mark life’s moments with intention, beauty, and meaning. To me, that is the heart of humanism: truth, beauty, and goodness expressed through the way we live, love, celebrate, and connect.
✨ What Humanist Actually Means
When I say I’m a humanist, what I really mean is this: I value life for life’s sake — without dogma, without supernatural promises, without needing anything beyond the sheer miracle of being here at all.
“If this is our only life, then every moment becomes precious.”
I believe we get one chance at this beautiful, fleeting existence, and that’s exactly what makes it so precious. If this is our only life, then we owe it to ourselves — and to each other — to make the most of it. To live fully. To love generously. To laugh loudly. To show up with intention. To care for the people and creatures we share this planet with.
The American Humanist Association’s Ten Commitments have always aligned with how I think humans should move through the world: with responsibility, empathy, humility, compassion, and a deep respect for the interconnectedness of all conscious beings. They’re not rules — they’re reminders of how we can choose to live well.
Without a set script or doctrine to lean on, I’ve had to think deeply about what brings meaning to life. And for me, meaning comes from relationships — from the experiences we create, the goals we pursue, the ways we grow in body, mind, and spirit, and the ways we help others along the way.
Humanism, to me, is choosing to build a meaningful life from the inside out. It’s choosing connection. It’s choosing intention. It’s choosing joy.
✨ The Origin Story
The family who reached out to me had two little boys, just barely a year apart — both of them miracles in their own way. Their first son had been long‑awaited, the result of hope, perseverance, and a pregnancy that came with its own fragile beginning. And then, against all odds, with almost no chance of conceiving naturally, their second son arrived soon after. Two boys, two stories, two tiny lives held with so much gratitude.
The parents came from different religious backgrounds, but together they had chosen a more secular path. Still, their wider family longed for the rituals that welcome new life into the world — the gathering, the blessing, the moment of naming. They wanted something meaningful, something intentional, something that honored their children without leaning on traditions that didn’t quite fit. They needed a ceremony that was entirely their own.
And that’s where I came in.
I had never curated or officiated a baby naming ceremony before, but the moment I read their email, I felt a spark of excitement. A pull. A yes. I met with the family in person — my preferred way of doing things in a world where everything seems to happen through screens now. I wanted to truly know them, to understand their vision, to feel the energy of their home and their hopes.
We felt comfortable with each other immediately. Their oldest toddled right up to me, looked me square in the eyes, and said one of the few words he knew: “Up.” I held him for most of our conversation, his small hand resting on my shoulder as his parents shared their story. It was simple, human, and perfect.
From there, I set out to curate the most meaningful baby naming ceremony I could — something that honored their journey, their values, their children, and the love that carried them through so much uncertainty. And as I wrote, planned, shaped, and prepared, something unexpected happened.
“Every step whispered the same thing: Yes. This is what you were meant to do.”
By the time the ceremony day arrived, I wasn’t just creating something beautiful for this family — I was quietly rebuilding something for myself. The work felt natural, purposeful, and deeply aligned. And somewhere in the middle of crafting that ceremony, the old dream I had tucked away began to rise again.
All Things Joyful wasn’t gone. It was waiting. And this family — these two little boys — were the ones who brought it back to life.
Reading the baby naming ceremony that quietly brought All Things Joyful back to life.
✨ What I Do Now
Now, I am finally — fully — committed to making this my life’s work moving forward. I jumped in with my whole heart, and I’ve been slowly, intentionally shaping this dream into reality. That feeling I had while creating the baby naming ceremony — that deep joy, that sense of purpose — I want to feel that all the time. I want to bring that feeling to others across every meaningful moment of their lives, from the welcoming to the final goodbye.
Curating travel experiences has always come naturally to me. I’ve done it for years for friends and family visiting Alaska — crafting itineraries, sharing hidden gems, guiding people through the landscapes that shaped me. So it felt right to begin there: to introduce myself, my roots, and the majesty of the place that made me who I am. Alaska is where my sense of wonder was born, and sharing that with others feels like the perfect beginning.
In a world that seems to grow less connected by the day, the foundation of All Things Joyful is simple: intentional experiences, intentional relationships, and genuine connection are what make life truly joyful. Ritual, celebration, travel, heritage, and shared moments — these are the lifeblood of a meaningful life.
Every milestone in our fleeting time on this planet deserves intention. Because extraordinary moments deserve extraordinary marking.
That day reminded me that meaning isn’t found in grand gestures — it’s found in the small, intentional ones. And it’s why I’m here, ready to help others mark their extraordinary moments with the same care.
Warmly, Carrie
Founder & Milestone Architect, All Things Joyful Humanist Celebrant • Event Planner • Travel Consultant
Lansing, Michigan & Alaska Serving clients wherever joy takes them.
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