The kitten and the campfire

Lessons on being present, connected and belonging

Some memories stay with you because they were loud. Others stay because they were gentle.

When I was 15, a friend invited me to spend a week camping with his family. I had never seen darkness like that before. Not city darkness. Real darkness. The kind where the stars finally get their turn.

I remember lying on the ground one night, staring up at a sky so crowded with stars it almost didn’t look real. I had no idea there were that many. It felt like seeing the world for the first time.

There was also a kitten. One of a litter, maybe a few months old. Orange and white, like a little puff of cotton with a motor inside.

I never knew if it was a boy or a girl. It didn’t seem important.

That kitten followed me around all week. One night, as we slept near the fire, it purred and cuddled against my ear. My heart melted. I felt chosen. I couldn’t help but smile.

Then it laid across my neck and purred itself to sleep. I tried not to laugh at how adorable it was. I also tried not to turn my head because I didn’t want to wake it up.

I can still remember the sound and vibration across my throat. I remember how safe and loved it made me feel.

Funny how some memories stay with you. Not because they were dramatic, but because they were gentle.

I found myself thinking about that kitten while writing Agatha’s Garden.

When Sam first arrives at the garden, he sleeps outside for the first few nights. Part of it is practical. Part of it is emotional. Sometimes it takes time to trust a new place. Sometimes it takes time to believe you’re allowed to belong somewhere.

And sometimes healing begins with something small.

A garden. A campfire. A sky full of stars. Or an orange-and-white kitten that decides you’re worth keeping company.

That feeling lives inside Agatha’s Garden.

If you’ve ever felt out of place and wished something quiet would remind you that you still belong, I think you’ll understand Sam.

You can read Chapter 1 at AgathasGarden.com.

A grieving neurodivergent young man inherits a wild garden that teaches him how to remember who he was before the world taught him to disappear.

Get your copy of Agatha’s Garden: A Novel About Family Secrets, Healing, and Finding Where You Belong here: