One of my favorite stories to tell is of how our sweet, sneezy little cat came to find us in the desert.
We call him Miles, sometimes desert kitty, and mostly Papa. So many names for this endearing little character who entered our real life story on a June evening back in 2005.
At the time, I was pregnant with our first daughter, Juliana, and it felt like magic that this little two pounder could use the strength of his tiny voice to call our attention outside and rescue him.
He was so micro, so dirty, so lovable from the start. Immediately, we knew he was home.
Years later, as I would tell this story to our growing daughter, Juliana, she and I would ponder about how on earth this little two pound kitten had managed to survive the desert and find his way to our doorstep.
It was a mystery and felt really magical.
One night, I started writing a few lines about how our Miles had come to find us. And when I read them to Juliana, she was so excited at the thought of a story about our kitten.
I asked her if she’d like to help me write it and she gave me an enthusiastic YES.
When we felt inspired, we’d write a bit more, exploring the challenges and dangers that Miles may have overcome on his way to us.
Once we felt like our story was complete, we asked ourselves, who will illustrate it?
Not long after, in one of my business groups, I saw an artist post one of her cat drawings…and it looked just like Miles!
A spark of possibility came to mind and I asked Juliana what she thought about reaching out to this artist to illustrate our story.
Yes! Let’s do it!
We took a leap of faith and I contacted the brilliant artist, Eli Trier, who lived across the ocean from us in the U.K.
My girls and I met with her on Skype and we agreed to co~create!
Still, it took several more revisions, lots of discussion back and forth, and a little over two years to complete the project.
Every step has invited deeper reflection, courage, persistence and profound connection.
And we could not be happier with our first book.
It’s been a transformational, surprising, magical experience…
Just like Miles’ journey to find a home with us all those years ago.
♥ Denise
p.s. If you have little ones, or just adore cats, grab your copy HERE.
About Denise Dare
At the heart of Denise’s vision is co~creating a world where work feels like play, hugs are medicine, and love comes first.
Denise is a home educating Cali mama, writer, mystic, and thought leader, happily featured by Positively Positive, Tiny Buddha, Elephant Journal and other rad places on the interwebs.
When she’s not teaching the art of self love, bold self expression and vibrant alignment, you can find Denise dancing with her daughters in the kitchen, practicing yoga on and off the mat, and walking barefoot on the beach.
Her signature Write from the Heart sessions inspire visionaries to release the fear and doubt that make writing feel hard, so they can tune into their authentic voice and express their message with grace.
Discover how to love, live and write from the heart at denisedare.com.
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