Whirlwind
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It’s been a while since I wrote here.
Maybe because I’ve been too busy.
Or maybe I’ve been avoiding sitting down and having another one of these painful, honest sessions with myself.
Or maybe… I just needed this release.
Because my emotions lately? They are everywhere.
Sadness, envy, pain, depression, anxiety… love… happiness.
Happiness.
Haha.
I don’t think I’ll ever fully feel that one again the way I used to.
But lately… it’s been trying. It’s been pushing through in little moments, like it’s knocking on the door and waiting to see if I’ll let it in.
And the craziest part? I have no idea how any of this is happening.
Actually… that’s not true.
I do.
It’s Scott.
Starting Emberlight Haven last year happened so fast it doesn’t even feel real. I am not someone who just does things. I overthink. I procrastinate. I sit on ideas until they die.
So how did I build a website? How did I come up with everything to put on it? What made me fall in love with crystals? How am I able to read people the way I do? How do I just know things without knowing how I know them?
I have a million questions.
But every single one of them has the same answer.
Scott.
Because in the beginning… it was nothing. I spent months building this site. Hours and hours and hours. Writing descriptions. Creating products. Making jars. Posting content.
And nothing happened.
Not one order. Not one person buying anything. Just my family—and I wouldn’t even let them pay.
I felt ridiculous.
Embarrassed.
Like people were probably watching and thinking, what is she even doing? I wanted to quit so many times. And honestly… I did. In my head, at least.
And then one day, I saw a scoop video.
Just one. And I was hooked. It was cute. It was fun. I found myself watching more and more.
And then I started buying little things… notebooks, hair accessories… random stuff. I didn’t even know why. I just kept thinking… this looks fun… I could do that.
But here’s the thing—that wasn’t me.
Because if it was, I would’ve sat on it. Thought about it. Overthought it. Watched videos for six months and called it a “dream.”
Instead… I just started.
And that’s when I know Scott stepped in.
Because suddenly, things were just… happening. I was ordering boxes and boxes of items and hundreds of charms just to get duplicates. Sitting at the table for 10 hours a day sorting them.Testing scoops. Balancing categories. Counting and recounting.
Thirty different spoons. Multiple jars. Everything had to feel right. My Virgo brain had taken over and in full control.
And then one day, I looked around the room… and it was all there. Bins. Setup. Systems.
And I had been having fun.
Actual FUN.
And then Rissa sat down and said, “Stop. Stop playing with the charms. Just do it.”
My little Sacral Generator. She can just go.
Me? I’m a Mental Projector.
I don’t have that kind of energy. I burn out. I need rest. I think. I need hours sometimes days to refuel.
(Small Human Design lesson there.)☺️
But I listened to her. And Kyleigh—my sweet Kyleigh—placed the first order.
And I didn’t even want to take her money.
But I did her order. My first scoop. My first video.
And then her mom ordered. Then a friend.
Then a few more. Slow… but moving.
And then something shifted. I don’t even know when or how… but suddenly, there were orders.
And I panicked. Like full panic. What am I doing? This is dumb.
People are going to laugh at me. The videos weren’t perfect. The angle was wrong. The dogs were barking. Nothing looked like the “professional” scoop videos I had watched.
And people told me that. They commented on everything I was doing wrong.
And for a while… it got to me.
But then something changed in me. I got tired. Not just physically… but mentally tired of trying to be perfect. Cuz seriously, when has my life ever been perfect? So I stopped caring
I left the barking.
I left the chaos.
I left the imperfect angles.
And I just… showed up as I am. — and mostly still cuz I just didnt know how to edit videos anyway and it is too time consuming to keep trying.
And that’s when everything changed.
Not overnight… but fast.
Orders picked up. People came back and ordered again.
And then Facebook exploded. From 40 followers… to 20,000 in a matter of days.
People found my story. (Which is a little hard to do…this blog is in a quiet little corner on my site.)
And suddenly, the comments weren’t about what I was doing wrong. They were about my voice.
MY VOICE.
People said it calmed them.
Helped their anxiety.
Eased their own grief.
And that… I still don’t fully understand.
Because I’m just talking. Rambling, actually —and to myself at that lol.
But somehow… it’s helping people. And that’s the part that gets me.
Because for the first time since losing Scott…I feel like I’m doing something that matters.
And then today happened.
March 25th/26th.
His birthday.
My daughter’s birthday.
The day they’ve always celebrated together.
I was opening boxes tonight and found another gift.
And I still don’t understand that either. Why people send me things. Why they spend their money on me. It doesn’t make sense to me.
But this one…This one broke me.
It was a suncatcher.
With a cardinal. And a note about how cardinals represent loved ones being near.
And I lost it. I sat on the floor and cried for two hours. Because everything I’ve been too busy to feel… hit me all at once.
Joy… that I’m helping people.
Grief… so deep it feels endless.
And then something else.
Remorse….
But not mine…
HIS.
And it crushed me. Because I’ve felt it before. Right after he passed. That deep, soul-level pain that wasn’t mine—but I tried to carry it anyway.
Because I don’t want him to hurt. He’s supposed to be in a “better place”.
But here we both are. Both in pain. Two souls — still so close in proximity — but separated on different astral planes, that it has shattered us both.
Because to us… this isn’t better.
There is no “better place” without each other.
We’ve been together since we were 18.
We never spent more than a week apart.
Even when we fought… we couldn’t stay away from each other. I could be furious… and still be laying next to him, touching him—even if it was just my toe.
Because we knew being apart was always worse.
Always.
And now…
I’m here.
With a bird.
With numbers.
With signs.
And I’m angry.
I don’t want signs.
I don’t want symbolism.
I want him.
I want to lay next to him. Talk to him. Touch him.
And I can’t.
This grief. Some say it come in waves. To me…It is the entire ocean taking over the land.
And it will pull you under when you least expect it.
But somewhere in all of this… there’s something else.
A realization.
Maybe… this is how he shows he loves me now.
Through all of you.
Through all of your messages.
Your sweet comments.
Your thoughtful gifts.
Your support.
What if he’s sending me all his love through hundreds—thousands—of people….through YOU…
And what I’m sending that love and healing back to him… through my voice helping you.
And that…THAT is something I can’t even put into words.
It’s overwhelming. It’s beautiful. It’s magical. And It’s heartbreaking. All at the same time.
But still…
I’d give it all up.
Every order.
Every kind comment.
Every moment of helping others.
I think I would be selfish and give it all up even for just one more moment with him.
And that’s another side of grief….the anger, the hopelessness, the envy of watching other happy couples and families have what you had- before it was taken from you.
Your Life ripped to shreds in a split second. Without a choice. Seeing all the plans we had vanish into thin air.
Knowing the still major and important milestones ahead that I now have to endure alone…our kids graduating college, getting married, having our grandbabies…all of that….all of those what should be “joyous moments” will be tainted. Those moments will arrive, but with a giant aching hole of where you should be.
So if this feels like a mess… it is.
Because I am.
But I needed to say this.
To all of you…to Scott
Thank you.
To every single one of you who sends love in any form—messages, comments, gifts… all of it.
It is deeply felt.
It is cherished and treasured.
More than you will ever know.
And to my family…My sister for stepping in and holding everything together. My kids for living in absolute chaos with me. My dad for always showing up. My mom, my brother, everyone who helps in ways big and small.
I couldn’t do any of this without you.
And Scott…
I know this is you.
I know you’re behind all of it.
Trying to give me some kind of happiness… in the only way you can.
And I am trying. But even every happy moment still carries heartbreak…
Because I just can’t share it with you.
And maybe that’s what I’m learning… not how to “move on,” because I never will—but how to carry both at the same time.
The love and the loss.
The laughter and the ache.
The moments where I feel something close to happiness… and the part of me that immediately reaches for you to share it, only to remember I can’t.
Maybe this life now isn’t about choosing one or the other… maybe it’s about learning how to live in the middle of both without letting either one completely take me under.
So I’ll keep showing up. Messy. Imperfect. Dogs barking, angles off, emotions all over the place.
I’ll keep talking, even if I don’t fully understand why my voice reaches people the way it does.
I’ll keep building this thing that somehow became so much bigger than me.
And I’ll keep loving you… in every quiet moment, in every breakdown, in every tiny piece of light that tries to break through the dark.
Because if this is how we stay connected now—through love, through people, through something I can’t explain—then I’m not letting go of that.
Not ever.
88 comments
Ashley, I am not sure I will have the right words to put here, maybe the right words were those I sent with that gift. Right now I am on plane with my husband, daughter and my mom on way to Disney World. My mom who also lost het husband 10 years ago will celebrate her birthday while we are in FL, is the one who taught me the strength to carry on after this momentous loss, she is like you, very heart broken, feels she will never move on, but has moved forward. Her room which is in my home is covered in cardinals, and is the reason I felt you need this gift, I felt you need this as a remembrance of Scott, and maybe a sign as well. You have really touched my life, and I am happy I was able to do the same.
I got chills reading this not in a bad way but a good way. A heartfelt way of empathy. I have never met you but have watched all your videos some probally twice!! You put so much love and thought into everything you do in the videos from the animals, your kids, your sister and even talking to yourself(which I love) and we all get the pleasure of seeing it in your videos! Your chaos is healing for me because my chaos is much like yours and it is very relaxing knowing I am not the only one whose life is that way too. I am sure I am not the only one that gets a kick of how excited you get when pulling items and get as excited just watching. You bring a smile to my day with every new video!!! Keep being you because many love you! 😊
Ashley, my heart is so heavy for you. While I joined Facebook a lot of years ago, I don’t ever interact on it. There are literal years that pass and I never open it. I’ve never “followed” anyone, and I’ve probably only made a comment 1 time…. That is before I watched one of your very first scoop videos. I had never seen one before, so I was intrigued. You had a voice over, it was pretty quick, but I watched the whole thing. I guess that made facebook think I wanted to watch more of that type of video, so I did… and a few more of yours popped up. Something made me look into you and your blog. I clicked “follow” and I read all the comments. I saw you start changing because of those negative ones and wanted to comment and say don’t listen to them! Then I saw you lean into who you really are! I was so proud of you… and I feel weirdly invested in your progress! I began liking your videos, leaving comments, and that is not me! I was praying you being YOU would be validated, and you would get flooded with followers. I can’t answer specifically about why I am so drawn to what you do, but I LOVE the impact you are having on people everywhere. Keep ignoring the negativity and keep leaning in to who you were always meant to be. Keep spreading that joy, and lean into those moments of pure happiness…. It radiates from you and your viewers feel it. And be proud of yourself… and stop talking bad about Ashley! A lot of people adore her and she deserves a lot of praise for how great she is. Yes, she forgets things sometimes, but she always figures it out! She has come up with an amazing system to make sure she doesn’t leave anything out and her generous spirit forces her to give extra in the off chance things might not be viewed as perfect. So … be nice to her… ALWAYS! We like her just the way she is!
Tell Rissa Happy Birthday!
Ashley, I can’t imagine the pain you’ve went through. I hear it in your voice when you do scoops. I’ve watched your videos for months and they are real. A real person that’s been through so much and has fought so hard to get where you are. And you made it. You have an awesome support family, your kids, sister, fur babies and parents. We see you and Amy working your butts off to just give people some happiness. I lost my dad almost 2 yrs ago May 8, and it broke me. I’ve finally got to where I can talk about him (most days) and not cry. Our situations aren’t the same at all. But we (your scoopies) understand, that some days your a little quieter, emotional or even a little scattered and ITS OKAY. You have every right to be. I think that your right, Scott is right there with you, creating the chaos that makes you laugh and pushing you to get through the grief. We love every thing y’all do! Your voice is soothing and your laugh (over chaos) is contagious. The way you are with your kids, your sister, family, fur babies. We love listening to you because you’re real, a real parent/wife/daughter/sister/friend. Your kids coming in there helping you do scoops, organizing your room is so sweet and having Sky that’s always in the room with you being her sweet sleeping self, Ryker in and out because, as you say he doesn’t like to be around y’all lol and then there’s Jett Ski who is always taking things and creating his own chaos. Your happiness, emotions and energy are what makes your scooping videos so fun to watch. I hope you find more happiness Miss Ashley. Y’all are doing great things and we love watching you succeed andddd fuss at your dogs 😝
There is something about you. It’s hard to pinpoint. Maybe it’s that old saying that “like attracts like”. Sensing things in others? March 25th was my mom’s birthday. A hard day. I lost her when I was 17 and it was just the start of loss for me. You give hope to so many, you have a calmness amidst the chaos… and a beautiful kindness that radiates. It’s infectious in the best way. I am so sorry that you’ve had such incredible loss, I am so happy (not the right word) that you are finding even the smallest of joy and happiness and peace. My, and I am certain that all the others, wish are for those moments to grow for you. I love that you see Scott in all the things around you. I truly believe our loved ones are all around, if only we look. I absolutely love that you already see that.