When life doesn’t go according to plan…

hope is still possible.

Read Unexpectedly Perfect
Join The Lightwell Letter

Life doesn’t always go according to plan. 

Sometimes it changes with one phone call.

One diagnosis.

One loss.

One unexpected turn.

If you’ve found your way here because life looks different than you imagined…

I’m so glad you are here.

I write stories for people learning to find hope in the unexpected so they don’t have to walk through it alone.

Stories about motherhood.

Faith.

Grief.

Disability.

Mental Health.

And the quiet courage it takes to begin again.

Discovering that sometimes the life that we never would have chosen becomes the one that changes us the most.

You are seen here.

And there is still reason to hope.

Unexpectedly Perfect

One Mom’s Journey with Down Syndrome, Death, and Discovering a Truly Good Life.

If you've ever wondered whether a life that looks different than you imagined can still be beautiful...

This story is for you.

START READING!

Your Mess Is Welcome Here!

We all carry stories we'd rather hide.

Here, we tell them honestly.

JOIN THE COMMUNITY!
A woman wearing a face mask and a towel with penguin designs hugging a young boy in a hospital room.

Hi, I’m Ashley.

I'm so glad you're here.

If you've found your way to this page, there's a good chance life hasn't unfolded the way you expected.

Maybe you're navigating grief.

Maybe you're caring for someone you love.

Maybe you're a parent trying to make sense of news you never imagined hearing.

Maybe you're simply searching for hope in the middle of an ordinary, messy season of life.

Whatever brought you here, I hope you know this:

You are seen here.

Learn more

Not sure where to begin?

Wherever you are today, there's a place for you here.

I’m navigating something unexpected.

Resources, reflections, and encouragement for life's hardest seasons.

→ Start Here

Desk with a laptop, keyboard, papers, pens, a coffee mug, and a hand holding a cup of coffee, with a window showing a tree-lined street outside.
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A woman reading a children's book to two young boys on a bed, with various children's books around them.
People dressed in crustacean, octopus, and shark costumes standing in a backyard with children, fence, trees, and a playground slide in the background.
A woman and a young boy sitting together outdoors, smiling at each other. The woman is holding a smartphone and wearing sunglasses on her head, while the boy is wearing a gray and blue knit hat and a gray jacket.
A young child with a feeding tube in a hospital bed interacting with a woman wearing a red shirt and mask, in a hospital room with medical equipment on the wall.
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A woman smiling and holding a young child dressed in a shark hoodie, both showing happy, laughing expressions.
A woman smiling with two young boys, both with missing front teeth, in a cafe or restaurant setting.
A woman with two young children in a shopping cart inside a home improvement store. The woman is smiling, pushing the cart, with a toddler sitting in a car seat in the front of the cart and an older child leaning over the side of the cart looking at

“Ashley’s book was exactly what I needed to get through the darkest season of my life. All mom’s can benefit from her story.”

—Katy F.

Get When Life Doesn’t Go As Planed Kit. FREE

A beautiful PDF.

Includes:

A welcome letter.

Reflection questions.

Prayer.

Journal prompts.

Encouragement.

GET YOURS!