When I think about the things that have shaped my life, I think about my dad. My children. The people who have shown up for me. The moments I would love to live one more time, even if it were just for a few minutes.

Those thoughts are at the heart of my book, Built With Purpose: Finding Legacy in the Ordinary Moments.

As a mom of four, an author, and the founder of the Glen Adnam Cancer Comfort Basket Foundation, my days are full. There are always things to finish, people who need me, and ideas I hope to bring to life. Sometimes, in the middle of all that, I need the reminder in my own book’s title: there is meaning in the ordinary moments happening right now.

We don’t always recognize them while we are living them.

A conversation with a parent. A child reaching for our hand. Someone checking in when life feels heavy. These are the things that can stay with us long after the day itself has faded.

Losing my dad, Glen, to cancer in 2019 changed how I think about those moments. It made me more aware of what we carry forward from the people we love—their influence, the memories we return to, and the ways they continue to shape our choices.

I miss him. That remains true, even as life grows around the loss.

Writing gives me a place to reflect on that love and on the life I am still building. Through Built With Purpose, I wanted to make room for conversations about grief, motherhood, legacy, and finding meaning in the life we already have.

There can be so much pressure to do something remarkable. To have a clear plan. To know what comes next.

But some days, we are simply getting through the day. We are raising our children, caring for someone we love, starting over, or learning how to live with something we never expected.

Those days deserve to be part of our story, too.

Creating the foundation in my dad’s memory has become one way I carry his legacy forward. Every comfort bag is a chance to offer care to someone facing cancer. Writing this book has given me another way to share what matters to me and invite others to think about what matters to them.

Both are deeply personal. Both began with love.

My hope for Built With Purpose is that someone will find a passage that makes them pause and think about their own life with a little more kindness. Perhaps they will remember someone who helped shape them, notice something meaningful in their everyday routine, or feel less alone in a season that has been difficult to explain.

You don’t need to have everything figured out to reflect on the life you are building. I certainly don’t.

I am still learning, still grieving, still raising my babies, and still figuring out how to make room for the things that matter most. It means so much to be able to share a piece of that journey through this book.

If you have purchased a copy, shared it with someone, or taken a moment to encourage me, thank you. There is something very vulnerable about putting your words into the world, and your support has meant so much.

Built With Purpose: Finding Legacy in the Ordinary Moments is available on Amazon. You can learn more about the book and my writing at willowandwords.ca.

With love,
Kennedy 🤍