THE WOMAN BEHIND THE CORRESPONDENCE

Meet the First Wayfinder.

I’m Ashley—a wife, a mama of three, and the woman behind The Wonder Society.

Sterling and I are raising our family in Central Texas, where our days are full of children, homeschooling, responsibilities, and the ordinary moments I’m learning to notice again. I’m still learning to slow down, stay interruptible, and walk with the Father in the life He has given me.

01 · THE BEGINNING

The little girl who knew how to wonder.

I grew up near Hubbard and Mount Calm, Texas, with a 2,000-acre ranch as the backdrop to my childhood. There were long walks to the lake, rocks to investigate, trees that became hiding places, and room for imagination to turn an ordinary afternoon into an adventure.

An antique skeleton key captured my imagination when I was a little girl. Even then, something about an old key felt full of possibility—like it might open a door into a story I hadn’t discovered yet.

I remember a moment along a fence line and the quiet sense that someday I would come back. Years later, after the ranch had been sold and life had carried me elsewhere, I began to understand that returning could mean more than finding my way to a place. It could mean learning to encounter the Father with that kind of attentiveness again.

02 · THE LONGING

A longing that kept finding me.

I’ve always been drawn to the path that bends out of sight, the backroad I haven’t taken, the stories of other people, and the possibility of discovering something I would have missed if I hurried past. I love handwritten words, old keys, and creating things with my hands—small, tangible reminders that something mattered enough to keep.

When I was twenty, a spiritual mentor asked what I wanted to do with my life. My answer came quickly: I wanted to create a place where women could come and be spiritually refreshed. I didn’t know then what shape that longing would eventually take.

A few years later, another sentence rose to the surface: “I want to live my life, not merely survive it.” It stayed with me.

03 · THE REMEMBRANCE

The Father’s gentle excavations.

But wonder can get buried. Mine did, beneath grief, difficult seasons, responsibility, and the work of keeping life moving.

As the Father walked me through healing and restoration, I began learning what it meant to know Him as Father—to receive His love and recognize His presence. My seven years in youth ministry also deepened my love for helping others understand His grace, their identity in Him, and the invitation to spend time in His presence.

Little by little, He brought things back to my memory. The ranch. The key. The longing to offer women a place of spiritual refreshment. The sentence about living rather than merely surviving. These gentle excavations began revealing how the pieces belonged together.

That is how I came to uncover The Wonder Society: a lifetime of dreams, ideas, and moments finding their purpose in the Father’s invitation.

04 · THE INVITATION

Why I’m the First Wayfinder.

The First Wayfinder is where this story began: with a woman learning to say yes to the very invitation she would one day share.

Genesis 3:8—the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day—holds the picture beneath it all. A life lived aware of His nearness. A walk with the Father that reaches into our homes, our relationships, our grief, and our ordinary Tuesdays.

My hope is that the letters, Expeditions, and little artifacts you receive help you notice His invitations in your own life. That you remember—or discover for the first time—that you are His daughter, and that wonder has no expiration date.

I’m glad you found your way here. There is room for you on this trail.

With wonder,
Ashley

Meet the Wayfinder →

A PERSONAL FIELD NOTE

Meet the First Wayfinder.

I’m Ashley—a wife, a mama of three, and the woman stewarding The Wonder Society.

The second love of my life, Sterling and I are raising our family in Central Texas. Between homeschooling, motherhood, and the work of ordinary days, I’m learning to make room for wonder again—to slow down long enough to notice the Father beside me.

Follow the story ↓
Ashley, steward of The Wonder Society, smiling outdoors in a teal blouse and coral trousers.
ASHLEY · THE FIRST WAYFINDER

01 · THE BEGINNING

Where wonder first found me.

I grew up outside a small Central Texas town, on a 2,000-acre cattle ranch. Long walks to the lake, pockets of rocks, and hiding places beneath the trees filled my days. There was always somewhere to wander, something to investigate, a story waiting to unfold.

Antique, ornate keys especially captured my imagination. I loved the possibility they held: somewhere, there might be a door I hadn’t found yet.

Once, along a fence line, I had the quiet sense that someday I would come back. The ranch was eventually sold, and life carried me elsewhere. Only years later did I begin to understand that returning might mean more than finding my way back to a place. It might mean recovering a way of seeing—learning to encounter the Father with the attentiveness of that little girl.

02 · THE LONGING

The longing that stayed.

I still love a winding backroad, a handwritten letter, and listening to someone’s story. I love creating things with my hands—giving a memory or a meaning something tangible to live in.

At twenty, when a spiritual mentor asked what I wanted to do with my life, I told him I wanted to create a place where women could be spiritually refreshed.

A few years later, I spoke a sentence that never quite left me:

“I want to live my life, not merely survive it.”

Then came seasons when survival became the most honest measure of my strength. Grief changed the shape of ordinary days. Responsibility kept asking for my attention, often before I had time to process what I was carrying. I learned how to keep showing up—to care for others, complete what needed to be done, and move through the day even when my inner life felt tired and far away.

Wonder did not disappear, but it grew quiet beneath the weight of it all. I stopped expecting to notice much beyond what was necessary. The world narrowed to the next task, the next decision, the next thing that needed tending.

03 · THE REMEMBRANCE

The Father’s gentle excavations.

Healing did not come as one dramatic turning point. It came gradually, through restoration, honest reflection, and the steady work of learning that I did not have to remain defined by what I had endured. During seven years in youth ministry, I also began to recognize the Father’s love in more personal ways—not only as something I taught or witnessed in others, but as something He was patiently offering me.

Slowly, He began bringing things back to my memory: the ranch, the keys, the dream of welcoming women, the longing for a life fully lived. These memories did not feel like invitations to return to the past exactly as it was. They felt more like small markers along a trail, reminding me of what had always been true about the way I was made.

As those pieces came together, I began to uncover The Wonder Society.

Genesis 3:8 holds the picture beneath it all: God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. His nearness is the heart of this invitation—to walk with Him again, right here in the lives we’ve been given. Not after everything is resolved. Not only in the spacious or beautiful moments, but in the middle of motherhood, responsibility, healing, and the ordinary work of becoming whole.

I became the First Wayfinder because this invitation first asked something of me. I’m still learning to say yes—to pause, to pay attention, and to trust that wonder can return without requiring me to ignore what has been hard.

My hope is that these letters, artifacts, and Expeditions help you recognize His invitations, too. That you remember—or discover for the first time—that you are His daughter, whom He longs to be with.

There is room for you on this trail. I’d love to walk with you.

With Wonder,
Ashley

THE INVITATION CONTINUES

Wonder is the doorway.
Presence is home.

Meet the WayfinderBegin as an Explorer →