I woke up to COOL weather today. It was below 80 degrees, and I felt the sudden urge to throw on my sweatshirt. THIS IS A BIG DEAL, PEOPLE.

The ‘BER months are just around the corner, and anticipation feels like an understatement. This summer has been a whirlwind. Like so many parents, summer is the busiest season when you have kids. My children are still little and at home 24/7, but somehow the chaos of the season caught up with us, too. I went weeks without doing anything remotely creative, and I could feel that old familiar trap creeping in — the one where I tell myself I’m “irrelevant.”

But even amid the busyness, the time was sweet. By definition, I was struggling with writer’s block, and maybe I still am, to some extent. Yet, I found myself drawn to other creative outlets. I made more art, I reconnected with cinema [cue Golden by HUNTRIX from KPop Demon Hunters], and I started going to therapy.

[rare footage from a session]

That last part might not seem earth-shattering to most, but for me, it’s huge. I’ve tried therapy before with little success. Clinically, I was “doing fine” and told to go about my merry way. But I always questioned that. I wondered what “well” really meant and if I truly belonged in that category.

This summer, amid the busy days and the fun moments, I realized I’m not.

Some pretty tough family news came my way recently, stirring up a wound I thought had healed. It made me question my worth, my past, my whole identity — all because of a spit sample. So therapy became necessary again. And this time, it’s been helpful. More helpful than I expected. In the quiet moments alone, I’ve felt a spark again, a desire to put words on a page, no matter how small.

If you didn’t know, questioning your origin story can shake your confidence to its core. Mine has wavered like never before. I second-guess everything — the words I write, the projects I join, my role as a wife and a mother. I find myself in tears some nights, asking, “What am I even doing here?”

But one thing I don’t question is who put me here. I know I was created by someone whose love for me runs deep and isn’t tied to my parents or my success as a writer. That love is constant, unconditional — something I often forget in those heavy moments.

As I figure out where I want to be as a writer a year from now, or even a month from now, I want to hold onto that truth. I want to share it with others. Whether it’s in a lighthearted romcom, a romantasy (yes, something’s brewing), or a simple Sunday poem, I want my words to carry hope, truth, and love for anyone who has lost those feelings.

Because isn’t that why we read? To feel something real, to connect, to know that what’s going on inside us matters and that we aren’t alone? Maybe that’s why I read, anyway.

As I dive back into writing regularly, I hope to share more here. I know many of you come for the insider scoop on what’s next, and that will happen soon. I promise. Until then, I hope you feel loved today. I hope you find something to read that touches you deeply. And most of all, I hope you know you matter, and the world is better because you’re in it.

With that, I’ll leave you with some books by some friends who worked really hard to create something meaningful. Add these to your TBR!

[all available on Amazon]

Talk soon, pals!

Hugs,

Gray