Welcome to the birth of a new blog. I’m Michael French — your host and author. By profession, I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor here in the Midwest. Most recently, I’ve been working to put the finishing touches on my first book, Journey Into Grace.
This blog is actually my second one. From 2014 to 2023, I wrote regularly about my life as a grad student, counselor, foster‑step‑and adoptive dad. I’m also a husband, a big science‑fiction geek, and a Kansas City Chiefs fan — which probably gives you a good idea of where I live. You can still look at my musings at https://dadsunite.weebly.com/
This new space is an experiment. I’ll be sharing fresh writing that ties into the book I hope to publish in late 2027 or 2028. I’ll also feature remastered versions of articles from my earlier blog, updated with a fresh look and perspective. As a film buff I love the word remastered. Taking a film and updating it to High Definention and that’s what I hope to do with the remastered articles I’ll be sharing with you.
Journey Into Grace is a hybrid — something pretty unique. As an amateur photographer, I’ve gotten into landscape photography, and the vast majority of the images in the book were taken by me on my phone. The photos serve as visual metaphors for the inner journeys we all find ourselves navigating. The book is part memoir, part reflection on challenge, heartache, victory, and growth. It also includes wisdom from the counseling world and a few thoughts gathered along the way.
Through all of this, two anchors have stayed steady: my wife, LeeAnn, and my faith in Christ. I don’t have it all together, and I’m far from perfect, but those two anchors have kept me moving — and often pushed me out of my comfort zone. You’ll read more about that in the book.
While I was writing on my old blog a few years ago, the ideas and the drive to write seemed to dry up. The words just stopped coming. But then this year something shifted.
I took a day for myself and drove up to Loess Bluffs Wildlife Refuge in northwest Missouri. It was a bitterly cold morning — the kind where the air feels sharp — but I went anyway. Bald eagles gather there in winter, and the eagle has always been my favorite bird. I’ve only seen them a handful of times in my life, so any chance to watch our nation’s bird feels rare and meaningful.
I spent about three hours out there with nothing but my phone, taking photos of eagles and the waterfowl that make the refuge their winter home. The wind cut right through me, but the experience was exactly what I needed. The photos I captured felt alive. They felt like something.
A week later, I was standing by my front door when a thought, a voice, an idea from somewhere beyond me dropped in. It wasn’t dramatic. It wasn’t long. It was just a directive:
“Write a book with photos.”
That was it. No explanation. No outline. Just an assignment.
Over time, with a lot of brainstorming and back‑and‑forth with my AI assistant on my laptop, the idea began to take shape. It evolved far beyond those first few words. What started as a simple nudge has grown into a nearly complete book — ninety‑five percent finished, with five pages left to write.
Thanks for stopping by and beginning this new journey with me.
Next year I turn sixty. I’m still deciding how I feel about that. But I’ll also be celebrating ten years as a counselor, and that part feels meaningful. To mark the milestone, we’re taking a big trip — heading to the wild frontier of Alaska. I plan to capture the mountains and the raw landscape, and I’ll be writing a section of the book about that journey, tying it into the themes already woven through the pages.
Until then, I’ll be here — expanding these creative bursts, sharing behind‑the‑scenes moments, and writing whatever rises to the surface. Next up, I’ll be posting a remastered version of one of my favorite articles from my former blog, refreshed with a new coat of paint.
May your journey lead into peace, love, and grace.
Journey Into 