Behind the Heart: Brushwood Corners personal journey
- brushwoodcorners
- Oct 28
- 4 min read
A Week That Tested My Heart and My Hands
This week isn’t about the highlight reel. It’s not about pretty photos or perfectly labeled bars — it’s about the truth behind them. The kind of truth that sits heavy on your chest while you’re sitting at your table, surrounded by chaos and coffee cups, doing your best to hold it all together.
It’s been a long, emotional week. Between labeling bars, printing labels, tying bows, and staging for the show, I’ve felt every ounce of exhaustion that comes with trying to get a small business off the ground. My workstation looks like the inside of my mind — full, messy, overflowing with half-finished things and endless lists.
“Some weeks are less about growth and more about grit — about showing up tired, messy, and still choosing to keep going.”
Remembering Last October
Last October changed everything. My sister loved Halloween — it was her season. She’d fill her home with pumpkins and lights, make things cozy and spooky all at once, and always made sure the kids had something special planned.
The night before her house caught fire, she had just finished decorating for Halloween. That fire took her life and her daughter’s. My nephew made it out, by some miracle.
This is the first Halloween since then. Last year was too raw to even process — my daughter was supposed to be at the pumpkin patch that day with my sister, niece, and nephew. It’s hard not to replay all the what-ifs. This year, I’ve been trying to hold both the grief and the gratitude — missing them, remembering them, and thanking God my nephew is still here.
Balancing Grief, Growth, and the Grind
So yes, this week I’m tired — more than tired. I’m bone-deep weary from balancing grief and growth, from being pulled in a dozen directions: production, marketing, shipping, receiving, second jobs, and still trying to keep a dream alive.
My phone has fallen out of the light ring more times than I can count, videos have failed mid-recording, and FedEx managed to drop off package to my dog that was destroyed before I even made it home.
And lately, I’ve been questioning the whole social media side of it. I started it as a form of free marketing — a way to connect, to show the process behind Brushwood Corners. But if I’m being honest, it makes every single task take longer. Filming, editing, captioning — all while trying to just do the thing I was filming in the first place.
Some days, it feels like too much. I look at all these polished TikTok makers who somehow have perfect lighting, perfect hair, and perfect timing… and then there’s me — still in my pajamas, working in my little studio, just trying to keep the coffee hot and the bars labeled.
“It’s not always picture-perfect — but it’s real. And real is where the heart of Brushwood Corners lives.”
Small Wins That Still Matter
But even through the exhaustion, I still find moments that remind me why I started. The Moonlight Tallow Balm all labeled and ready. The Homestead Collection finally wrapped. A table full of finished bars that whisper, Keep going.
Sometimes it feels like I’m running on fumes — but it’s still forward. This journey isn’t perfect, and it’s not easy, but it’s mine. And it’s built on love — for the people I’ve lost, for the ones that are still here, for the life I’m building, and for every person who takes home a little piece of Brushwood Corners.
Weekly Defeats
The video of this week’s beautiful cut was interrupted by a phone call — and I didn’t notice until after the cut was done.
The phone fell straight out of the ring light in the middle of filming the Re-Grounded pour.
The FedEx guy set my package two feet from the dog — even though he had forty feet of safe space to choose from. (You can guess how that ended.)
And sometime around 10 p.m., I realized I couldn’t remember whether I’d posted on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok… or maybe nowhere at all.
Weekly Accomplishments
Every single Moonlight Tallow Balm labeled and ready for the show.
The Homestead Collection officially wrapped and displayed — finally.
My table layout staged and waiting for those finishing touches.
Orders packed, shipped, and stacked like a little army of handmade hope.
And most importantly — I kept going. Through the exhaustion, the memories, the noise, and the chaos — I still showed up.
“Behind every handmade bar is a human story — one that includes loss, exhaustion, hope, and heart.”
From the Heart of Brushwood Corners
This week reminded me that behind every handmade bar — and behind every dream — is a human story. One that includes loss, exhaustion, hope, and heart. I may be tired, but I’m still here. Still making. Still choosing to build beauty from the broken places.
Because that’s what my sister would have done.
If this post resonated with you, follow along for more Behind the Heart reflections and behind-the-scenes stories from the Brushwood Corners workshop.
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