Happily ’N’ever After – When Sandcastles Fall
Series Introduction
Fairytales often begin with once upon a time and end with happily ever after. They give us heroes who slay dragons, villains who reveal themselves clearly, and endings that tie everything neatly together.
But life isn’t always that simple. Castles we build can crumble overnight. Villains don’t always wear dark cloaks—sometimes they hide in plain sight. And the story doesn’t always end the way we hoped it would.
This series, Happily ’N’ever After – When Sandcastles Fall, is about my daughter Liz’s story, and my own. It’s about childhood innocence and the shadows that shaped us. It’s about how trauma, family, faith, and culture can mold us in ways both beautiful and heartbreaking. It’s about my desperate search for help when there seemed to be none. And it’s about love—raw, unshakable love—that refused to give up.
Liz loved fairytales. She acted them out as a child, dreaming of castles and happily-ever-afters. I, too, grew up with stories that shaped me—stories that would later echo in my parenting, for better and for worse. This series will weave those threads together: the innocence of childhood, the villains no one warned us about, the losses too heavy to name, and the quiet bravery Liz carried until the end.
I am writing this not to sensationalize, but to humanize. To honor Liz’s courage. To give words to the places where I found no help. To hold space for parents who are desperate, for people who are hurting, and for anyone who needs to know that even when sandcastles fall, hope can still be rebuilt.
These posts will not follow a perfect timeline. Some will read like chapters, others like reflections. Together they form a tapestry—a story that is both personal and universal, threaded with grief, truth, and the stubborn kind of hope that refuses to die.
If you’ve ever felt the sting of loss, the silence of unanswered prayers, or the longing for a story to end differently—this space is for you. My prayer is that through Liz’s story, you find pieces of your own healing, and perhaps a reminder that even in the darkest woods, there are still glimmers of light.
Welcome to Happily ’N’ever After.
Thank you for walking this journey with me.
💙 When sandcastles fall, may your heart still build, love still rise, and hope still hold. 🏰
💙 Jen