This blog was born nine years ago this month. What started out as a recommendation from my book publisher, has continued to grow throughout the years. From the beginning my goal was to support people going through cancer or other dark seasons of life. To create a space where people did not feel alone. Writing colleagues have been encouraging me to put my blog posts in one volume. I have hesitated because I am not done writing posts, but a few months ago, I committed to doing the project.

The first struggle with this project was finding a title. Because the blog covered so many different aspects of my life, it was hard to find words that embraced all of my writing. I have written about cancer and other health issues, living through COVID, and navigating retirement. I have written blog posts as a patient, wife, mother, friend, therapist, and most important as a human. How do you make that into a book title? Then one day, I read the following quote by Henry David Thoreau: “We are constantly invited to be what we are.” And a book title was born. The Invitation: Coming Home to Myself. It fit, because everything I have ever written in this blog was about uncovering and discovering my most authentic self and sharing it with you, my readers. And my hope is that all of you on the journey home to yourself feel comforted by knowing you are in a community of others doing the same.

The second struggle has been reading all of my blog posts in order to organize the book. I do not read posts after they are published unless a reader’s comment makes that necessary. So many emotions have been stirred up by the process. It has been a flip-flop between, “Would anyone want to read all of this?’ to “I have been very brave and vulnerable in putting out my thoughts, emotions, and experiences out into the world.” Seeing that bravery in my written word makes me incredibly proud. And scared. And proud again. Well, you see where that is going. As I read the posts, I feel compassion for the difficult experiences and emotions that have been a part of my journey. And I feel gratitude that you have gone along with me on it. I wanted you to not feel alone. And yet, you have allowed me to not feel alone too. Thank you.

I will keep you updated on the progress I make on the project. My hope would be that the book would be available by the end of the year. Be well, my dear readers.