One fall Saturday while visiting my parents in upstate New York, we went to the town’s famous annual shindig: the Hilton Apple Fest.

We parked at a church nearby, and on the way back to the car, we passed what looked like overgrown brush.

Until:

“Is that okra?” I said, stepping off the path.

“Where?” said my dad.

Not only okra—Swiss chard, arugula, kohlrabi, fennel, dinosaur kale, tomatillos, poblanos…

“This must be Father Paul’s garden,” my mom said. “He told people to take things! He grows it for everyone. I just never knew where it was.”

“It looks like no one does,” I said, wading through weeds into an Eden of unpicked food.

🥬

We spent the next 45 minutes harvesting, sending my dad back to the car twice for more bags.

How could this be? The priest had given hundreds of people permission, yet these plants remained untouched.
(“Father Paul’s in Italy for the month,” my mom said, as for his excuse.)

Maybe because these weren’t your average groceries. These were deep-cut vegetables I only recognized because I’ve worked on two different farms.
A feast hiding in plain sight next to the church.

🌶️

I believe anyone who wants to can write.

And that ideas are as abundant as plants. They’re out there growing wild, with or without our help. But that doesn’t mean we always recognize them.

Sometimes it takes practice to see the fruits among the weeds.
To see the story in the details.
To extract the lesson, the metaphor, the truth.

You might feel the pull to write about a moment in your life—a loss, a turning point, a funny moment with family…
…but finding the story inside the memory can take time.

One of the best places to do that is inside a writing community: a place where your ideas can surface,
where others can help you spot what you might have missed,
and where your voice grows stronger every time you show up.

You’d be surprised how much edible richness is growing where you least expect it.

🌱

If you’re craving that kind of support in 2026, I’d love to write with you.

Join the Memoir Circle, a group of women meeting monthly as we write our life stories in a structured, safe space.

I’m Kimberly, ghostwriter & book coach who specializes in memoir with themes of relationships, spirituality, and mental health.

Curious? Message me below to get started.