Hi there. Long time, no see. It’s been a while since I last wrote a blog post—over a year, in fact—and in that time, so much has changed that I wouldn’t even know where to begin. Life has a way of shifting beneath our feet, rerouting us in ways we never expected, and if I tried to catch you up on everything, I’d need more than a single post. More than many, to be honest.
But here’s what I want, so badly, to share with you: I wrote a book.
Strong Heart: A Story of Coming Home is more than just a collection of poetry. It’s a journey—one that many of you have inadvertently been a part of since I started writing and sharing this blog in 2015. Back when I met Bunny and Tee and a person beneath a coat of anxiety and OCD that had been trying for a lifetime to breakthrough. If you’ve been following my words for a while, you’ll recognize pieces of my heart within these pages. But this book isn’t just a compilation of past thoughts; it’s something refined, something shaped by time, growth, and the quiet strength that comes from facing life—challenging as it gets—head-on.
For years, my blog was a space where I shared raw, unfiltered thoughts—thoughts on rejection, anxiety, motherhood, and the struggle of simply existing in a world that often moves too fast. Thoughts about my sweet donkeys, three. Thoughts about gardening and stillness and the seedy underbelly of the swampy place I called home.
Called.
Past tense.
(It’s so much to tell.)
Those words became the foundation for Strong Heart, but the book itself became something more: a story of resilience, of finding myself, and of learning to stand tall in my own truth, even when the tempest tries its best to knock me down.
If you’ve ever felt unseen, passed up, or uncertain of your place in the world (or universe, for that matter), I hope this book finds you. I hope you see yourself in these pages and feel less alone. With it in my own hands, my own creation, I feel less alone. I’ve come home to myself. It’s warm and caring. Gentle and concerned. Sensitive and empathetic. The expectations are high but the grace is even higher. It’s soft, it’s cautious, it’s silly…it’s me. It’s home.
I am so proud of this work, and I would love to share it with you. Strong Heart is available now, and I hope it speaks to you the way it speaks to me. Thank you for reading, for sticking around, and for being part of this journey. We are all coming home to ourselves in one way or another, and this book is my way of saying: you’re not alone. You’ve never been alone.
And also, thank you. Thank you for the words, feelings, and love you’ve scattered on my path like rose petals, knowingly or unknowingly. Thank you for caring. Thank you for being here. Thank you for taking the time.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I love you (yes, you),
Jess
Here is a link to the hard copy that can be delivered to your mailbox: https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=XUIuMops0A7sYF5WQBTQM2dfvSnpBwimK7Vb8IlWcD
The link to the e-book is coming soon; I’ll post that update as soon as I have it.
Leave a Reply