The Meaning of a Charmed Life
When most people hear charmed life, they picture the glossy stuff — caviar, private jets, red carpets. I’ve had moments of sparkle, yes, but when I talk about a charmed life, I mean something else entirely.
To me, a charmed life is not about having everything. It’s about surviving. It’s about growing, learning, giving. It’s about carrying both joy and heartbreak and somehow finding the blessing inside of both. And when we choose to see life this way, it changes everything.
My son Jonathan is proof.
Jonathan’s life began as a miracle. Before he was born, complications filled my pregnancy. But on December 3, 1999, with the help of gifted doctors, I delivered a healthy baby boy — on the same day Ozzy Osbourne was born. Later, Ozzy himself would laugh with Jonathan about their shared birthday, calling it “bloody cool.” That’s always been Jonathan’s way — drawing magic into ordinary moments.
But the charmed life isn’t the easy one. At nine months old, while other babies were crawling and babbling, Jonathan was undergoing CT scans and preparing for surgery to remove a tumor. He was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, Opsoclonus Myoclonus — cancer. His earliest years were filled with hospitals, therapies, and uncertainty. There was even the day someone in a Hollywood restaurant sneered at me for wheeling him — then five years old — in a stroller. She didn’t know the battle he had already fought. What looked like weakness was actually survival.
And Jonathan survived. Against the odds, he beat cancer. That is what I call charmed.
But Jonathan’s life isn’t defined only by what he endured — it’s how he has chosen to live since. Even as a child, he was a leader. At school, he was well liked — not because he was the top student or the star athlete, but because he tried. He was gritty. He put effort into things that were hard for him. And people admired that. They admired him. That’s who Jonathan is: the one who keeps showing up, who inspires others simply by trying.
As he grew older, that same spirit carried into his choices. He put his education on pause to spend time with his grandmother, my mom — Susan Tose Spencer. She was his role model, his hero, his precious grandmother. She lived with us, filling our home with her wisdom, humor, and love. She often reminded us: “An ounce of gold cannot buy an inch of time.” And together, we lived that truth — cherishing every moment.
This past year tested us in ways I never imagined. My fiancé, Bill, spent 30 days in the hospital. After Jonathan’s long workdays, he still came with me night after night, lifting spirits not only for Bill but for everyone he encountered. And when Bill passed, Jonathan carried me with his steadiness, his compassion, and his quiet strength.
Just months later, on March 24, 2025, we lost my mom too. Jonathan was with her as she took her final breath. I watched my son — who had once been a fragile baby fighting cancer — hold her hand with grace and courage. That moment will forever be the greatest gift of my lifetime.
That is a charmed life.
As a single mom, I’ve carried a lot — financially, emotionally, spiritually. Jonathan’s father showed up for the photo ops, but not for the day-to-day responsibilities. The real work of raising children fell on me. And while that was hard, it also became a gift. Jonathan and I built a bond of resilience and love that has shaped who we both are. He found positive role models elsewhere, and more importantly, he became one himself.
And he hasn’t walked this path alone. His younger brother and sister look up to him. Our furry family adores him. Friends who are like family cheer him on. We are all so proud of the man Jonathan has become.
Here’s the truth: we all have struggles. We all have loss. But within those struggles lives the possibility of something greater — resilience, compassion, growth. When we change our definition of what it means to live a charmed life, we start to see that blessing is already around us. A charmed life is not handed to you. It is built by surviving, by giving, by keeping your heart open when it would be easier to shut it down.
I am blessed to write books — some alongside Jonathan — that bring light to others. I am blessed with friends who love me like family. And I am blessed, most of all, to be Jonathan’s mom.
So yes, Jonathan has lived a charmed life. And so have I. And so can you. Because a charmed life is not about what you have — it’s about how you live, how you love, and how you keep going.
