Mothersense

The “Heart-Work” and the “Hard-Work”: Finding My Alignment

May 18, 2026 by Mothersense, posted in This Life

There is a specific kind of magic that happens when “heart-work” and “hard-work” finally begin to align. For the longest time, it felt like I was operating in a valley—navigating the shadows of uncertainty, managing personal hurdles, and wondering when the pieces would start to fit together. But lately, the view has changed. I’m no longer looking at the climb; I’m looking at the moon.
Building from the Ground Up
Building something brand new requires a unique brand of “brain power.” It’s about more than just having an idea; it’s about the grit required to utilize modern tools and technology to bring a vision to life. Whether it’s developing a recipe app to streamline the heart of the home or a recycling app to help protect our planet, these projects represent the fusion of logic and passion.
My creative world has expanded into every corner of storytelling:
The Novel: Deep, immersive world-building.
The Children’s Book: Seeing the world through a lens of wonder.
Short Stories: Capturing those fleeting moments of human connection.
The Master Catalog: Baring my soul through songwriting, turning raw emotion into lyrics and melodies that I hope will eventually find their way into the world.
The Purpose Behind the Hustle
While the creative projects feed my soul, there is a grounded, protective side to this journey. Working in insurance has become a vital part of my mission. It isn’t just about policies; it’s about the people we do all of this for. It is the safety net that protects our families and our dreams, ensuring that the hard work we put in today is preserved for tomorrow.
Tools for the Ascent
Coming out of that valley required more than just luck. It took intentionality. I’ve leaned heavily into the practices that keep my mental health steady and my focus sharp:
Gratitude Journals: Finding the “wins” even on the heavy days.
Manifestation: Being unapologetic about desiring a better life and a bigger future.
Daily Goals: Smashing those small milestones that lead to massive shifts.
Nowhere to Go But Up
Just a few months ago, things felt heavy. Today, the momentum is real. My health is back in my corner, my mind is clear, and the “alignment” everyone talks about is finally starting to feel like a reality.
When you decide to shoot for the moon, you realize that the hard lessons weren’t there to stop you—they were there to prepare you for the altitude. Here’s to the heart-work, the hard-work, and everything that happens when you finally decide to go up.

Speaking from Experience

May 15, 2026April 21, 2026 by Mothersense, posted in Mental Health Recovery, Reclamation

Life is Too Short for “Later”

I was looking back at a post I wrote during one of the hardest pivots of my life – the end of my marriage. At the time, I realized I couldn’t keep distracting myself with projects. I had to face the “down and dirty” reality so that my children and I could move forward.
Looking back, that season wasn’t just about ending a marriage; it was about beginning a life where I took control of my own security.
The Archive :

I am divorcing my disabled husband. It’s not what you think, the difficulties were there for years and we refused to face them. In order to move forward for myself and my children I did have to face them. I had to be ok both physically and emotionally. No more throwing myself into a project or spending hours away from the issues.

So I sat down with my husband and we had a very difficult discussion. It took time for it all to sink in with him but we agree for the most part. Our marriage is over, it has been for a few years. We were making one another miserable and we had tried counseling, techniques, but the reality was: it was over. Without hashing out the down and dirty we are both dealing with it all in our own way. The kids are adjusting. I hope he finds a way to heal himself and be a good dad. I hope my children will one day understand that I never once made this decision lightly. It took me years to gather the courage to speak the words “I want a divorce”

Now we deal with making arrangemnets and adjustments for different things. Ex and oldest daughter are living in a different state. Oldest son is living with his new wife as of March. I have DD2 and DD3 as well as Baby boy at home with me and my new man. (That is a tale for another day) and we are doing well.

Love and light folks!! Life is just too darn short!

The 2026 Pivot :
When I say “Life is too darn short,” I mean it. But I also know that when life changes—when we divorce, move states, or merge families with a “new man”—our protection needs to change with us.
When I went through my divorce, I had to learn the hard way about making arrangements, updating bank accounts, and checking beneficiaries. I became an agent because I don’t want anyone else to navigate those “adjustments” alone or unprotected.
Are Your “Arrangements” Up to Date?
If you’ve gone through a divorce, a move, or a family change, your old insurance policy might still be protecting a reality that no longer exists. Let’s make sure your children are the ones who are actually set up for the future.

Update your Legacy plans

Julie Kilcrease
Licensed Life Insurance Agent | Texas
NPN: 21375920
Helping you protect the life you’ve worked so hard to build.

The Bridge Between Roots and Wings: Chasing the Next Chapter

May 11, 2026May 11, 2026 by Mothersense, posted in Mental Health Recovery, Reclamation

There is a specific kind of quiet that settles in the second week of May. Mother’s Day has just passed—a day for looking back, offering gratitude, and honoring the foundations of home. But right in front of us, the air is buzzing with the energy of graduation.
For my nieces, my nephew, and my cousins, this week represents the “in-between.” They are standing on the edge of a finished chapter, pens poised to start the next one. Watching them, it’s impossible not to feel the weight of those connections and the beautiful, bittersweet cycle of growth.
The Art of the Ending:
Endings are rarely just about saying goodbye; they are about inventory. As these graduates pack up their desks and turn their tassels, they aren’t just leaving a building. They are carrying forward every late-night study session, every hard lesson learned, and the steady support of the family that cheered them on from the sidelines.
We often think of graduation as a destination, but it’s actually a pivot point. It is the moment where “what you’ve done” becomes the fuel for “where you’re going.”
The “Never-Stop” Mindset
If there is one thing I hope the graduates in my life carry with them, it’s the realization that bettering ourselves has no expiration date. The diploma is a milestone, not a finish line. The most successful and fulfilled people I know are those who treat life like a permanent apprenticeship. Whether you are eighteen or eighty, the goal remains the same:
Stay Curious: Ask the questions that others are too afraid or too tired to ask.
Chase the Dream, but Value the Grind: The “big dream” is the North Star, but the daily effort is the boat that actually gets you there.
Be a Student of People: Some of the best education comes from listening to the stories of those who walked the path before you.
Looking Ahead
To the Class of 2026: The world is loud, and it will try to tell you who to be. But remember the roots we celebrated just a few days ago. Those connections are your anchor. They give you the permission to take risks, to fail forward, and to keep reaching for something better.
Never stop learning. Never stop growing. And most importantly, never stop believing that the next chapter can be even better than the one you just wrote.

Mother-Sense: The Legacy We Carry, The Wisdom We Give

May 8, 2026 by Mothersense, posted in Mental Health Recovery, Reclamation

As we approach Mother’s Day, my house feels a little fuller, the air a little thicker with memory, and my “Mother-Sense” is on high alert.

In the songwriting world, we talk about a “bridge”—that part of a song that connects where you’ve been to where you’re going. To me, that is exactly what motherhood is. It’s the bridge between the generations. It’s the radical hospitality of opening your heart to biological, bonus, and chosen children and saying, “There is a place for you here.”

More Than an Inheritance

I’ve been thinking a lot about legacy lately. In my “second half” of life, I’ve realized that the most valuable thing I can give my seven children and my three grandbabies isn’t something that can be kept in a bank or a box.

It’s Mother-Sense.

It’s that internal compass—the resilience to stand back up when life knocks your fence down, the intuition to know when a friend needs a quiet cup of coffee, and the bone-deep knowledge that they are loved, exactly as they are. It’s a functional, living tool kit for life.

The Reciprocal Song

People often say that mothers are the teachers, but if I’m honest, the song goes both ways.

My children have taught me more about courage than any lyric I’ve ever written.

They’ve shown me how to see the world through fresh eyes when mine were tired.

They’ve been the “steady anchors” in my own stormy seasons, reminding me that even when the melody changes, the foundation holds.

An Invitation to the Table

Whether you are a mother by birth, by marriage, or by choice, your “sense” is a superpower. It’s the wisdom that tells you when to hold on tight and when to let go so they can find their own rhythm. It’s the quiet strength that keeps the home fires burning, even when you’re busy building your own dreams and writing your own “second half.”

This Sunday, I won’t just be celebrating the title of “Mother.” I’ll be celebrating the resilience of every woman who has ever stepped into the gap, offered a hand, and shared her wisdom to light someone else’s path.

To my fellow mothers: What is one piece of ‘Mother-Sense’—that bit of hard-won wisdom—that you hope stays with your children forever? Let’s fill the comments with our collective legacy today

Rooted in the Reach: Cultivating Creative Boundaries and a Sill Full of Bloom

May 4, 2026 by Mothersense, posted in Mental Health Recovery, Reclamation

Here in the Texas blackland prairie, we’ve learned that growth is relentless. But the same rich soil that supports the sprawling acreage outside is just as capable of nourishing life when it’s carefully contained. This season, as I’ve been navigating my own internal transition—focused on structure and the resilient work of Broken Fence Publishing and The Second Half—I’ve found myself looking for a tangible reminder of that truth.

I found it on my windowsill.
It’s easy to believe that true “growth” requires boundless space—whether that’s literal acreage or an empty, uncluttered schedule. But true resilience isn’t defined by the size of the container. It’s defined by the capacity to take root and reach for the light, exactly where you are.

Protecting the Inner Garden

This spring has been a study in boundaries for me. In my creative life and personal story, I’ve had to learn that protecting my peace is not the same as building walls. A fence doesn’t exist to block the sun; it exists to create a sacred, intentional space where new growth isn’t trampled.
Just as a strong fence defines a property, healthy boundaries define who gets access to your time, your energy, and your narrative. They allow you to decide what gets planted and, just as importantly, what gets kept out. When you are rebuilding and reimagining your “second half,” this protective structure is everything. It ensures that when you finally do “bloom,” the roots are strong, anchored, and safe.

The Power of the Potted Life
The natural metaphor for this is happening right inside my house. This month, I’m leaning into “small-scale” planting.
You don’t need a tractor or an elaborate irrigation system to cultivate life. A windowsill is enough. A few intentional pots are enough. If you find yourself in a season where you don’t have the space, time, or energy for a sprawling “garden,” you can still choose to cultivate a Sill Full of Bloom.

Here are three things you can plant right now, in small containers, that will bring immediate life and texture to your space:

Window Basil (and Mint!): These are perhaps the easiest to container-grow. A simple pot near a sunny window provides fresh fragrance and flavor all summer. They are a daily, sensory reminder of intentional growth.

Potted Peppers (Banana or Cherry): Many varieties of peppers thrive in containers. Their bright red and yellow colors are cheerful, vibrant, and incredibly rewarding to harvest. They are proof that something compact can still be incredibly productive.

Marigolds and Petunias: If you’re craving color, a small planter box of hardy annuals is a joyful “pop.” They are the “easy listening” of the plant world—reliable, bright, and impossible to ignore. They bloom all season long, reminding you that small efforts can have lasting beauty.

Growth in Every Scale

What I love about these contained gardens is that they require a different kind of attention. They need to be tended daily. They remind me that the structure (the pot, the sill, the boundary) doesn’t limit the growth; it simply shapes and protects it.

This May 1st, I’m celebrating the small spaces. I’m honoring the boundaries that keep my creativity safe, and I’m tending the blooms that are happily rooted right where they belong. The reach toward the light is the same, no matter the scale.

What boundary are you protecting in your life right now? And what tiny thing are you planting that makes your space feel a little more alive? I’d love to know!