The Cottage That Became a Porch: A Porch Light Pages Origins Story

Where hearts find home

Following a dream

For years, I dreamed of running my counseling practice out of a cozy little cottage—one with ivy climbing the siding, flower gardens in every shape and color, and a worn wooden porch with a light that never went out. A place where hurting hearts could sit a while. A place to listen. To speak. To rest.

That cottage never became my address. Life had other plans. But the vision stayed with me, and eventually I realized: the cottage didn’t have to be built from wood and stone. It could be made of words.

So I wrote this piece—a sort of invitation to the soul. I imagined what it might feel like to arrive at a place like that after a long and weary journey. I wrote it as both counselor and writer, not to offer services, but to offer solace and peace, much as I have needed it myself.

That was before Porch Light Pages had a name. But now I see it clearly—this is the cottage. This is the porch. And the light is still on.

This is the Porch Light Pages origin story. The piece below is something I wrote from that early vision. I offer it now not as a lead magnet or pitch, but as a quiet welcome. If you’re tired, if you’re wondering where your story goes next, or if you just need a moment to breathe—I hope you’ll come in. Sit on the porch for a while. Let the light find you.

The Cottage Counselor’s Couch

Welcome to the Cottage Counselor’s Couch—a safe and welcoming place where we talk about matters of the heart.

This is where my deeper vision first found form.

I once longed to run my practice from a cottage surrounded by flower gardens in every shape and color—thrilling the senses and comforting the soul. That physical place never came to be, but I chose the next best thing: to create that space in words.

Here, we talk about heartache, pain, and broken dreams. We share new strategies. We rediscover hope. And we learn to see the goodness that still lies ahead … if we’re willing to leave the main road and walk the quieter, more honest path.

That journey may lead through a dark and tangled forest. But keep going, and you’ll find the intricate, worn stone pathway beside the brook—laid there so you can pause to quench your thirst. The stones will guide you through any brambles and thorns.

And then—you’ll reach the meadow.

There, basking in sunlight, you’ll see a battered white fence and a worn wooden door. Step inside and you’ll find the counselor’s couch—a place of quiet safety and strength. Beside it, a small table holds a box to keep your tears—both the sorrowful and the sacred. And there, too, is the lamp.

Its metal base holds strength and grace. Its shade—crafted from every color of the rainbow—casts gentle light across the room, offering new vision, quiet truth, and the courage to go on.

There is no judgment inside this country cottage. Just welcome.

So come off the main road. Follow the worn path. Step through the shadows and into the light.

And there, waiting for you, is the couch—and now, Porch Light Pages.

How a Cottage Dream Became the Porch Light Pages Origin Story

In the years since I first wrote this, I’ve come to see: the counselor’s couch was never just a room—it was a beginning.

That battered door? It became a porch. That single lamp? It became a light that keeps shining. That little vision of solace and peace? It became Porch Light Pages.

If you’ve found your way here, know this: the couch is still here. The porch is wide enough for you. The light is still on.

Be brave. Come and sit a while. Under the light is where hearts find home—and where, quietly, you can come home to yourself.

Lori

Have you ever longed for a quiet place to rest and tell your story? I'd love to know what your version of the "cottage" has been.