A Love-Stretched Life

This life is real and complicated, messy, colorful, good, exhausting, and exhilarating―often simultaneously. It’s easy to feel overburdened by life’s demands. Looking out into the world as well as under the roof of our home may cause us to question, “How did we get here? And how will we get through?”

Jillana Goble has been there. With honesty, faith, and a dose of humor, her debut memoir, A Love-Stretched Life, chronicles what she's continually learning on the suspension bridge between reality and hope. A mom via foster care, birth, and adoption―in that order―for nearly two decades, Jillana has experienced life’s curveballs. Her come-as-you-are posture amidst a daily reality far different than she ever imagined reassures you that you’re not alone if your life isn’t tidily wrapped in a bow.

These stories will stay with you as you strive to love and to love well, even when―and especially when―it’s hard. Whether you are widening your family circle or just trying to get through the day, Jillana welcomes you to her table, offering you an anchor of hope to hang on to as you navigate your own love-stretched life.

1. Opening Credits
2. Dedication
3. Poem
4. Introduction: Leaning In
5. Chapter 1: Presence That Shapes You: Influence
6. Chapter 2: A Royal Storm: A New Understanding of Faith
7. Chapter 3: Bonds of Brotherhood: Ties That Bind
8. Chapter 4: We All Miss the Mark: Empathy
9. Chapter 5: The Prolonged Wait: Surrender
10. Chapter 6: As Long as There’s Breath: Hope
11. Chapter 7: Steadfast: Attachment
12. Chapter 8: Expectations: Adjustment
13. Chapter 9: Asking for Help: Intentionality
14. Chapter 10: Showing Up: Paying Attention
15. Chapter 11: Neighboring: Beyond the Surface
16. Chapter 12: Today: Surviving vs. Thriving
17. Chapter 13: Family Togetherness: Impact
18. Chapter 14: Come as You Are: Friendship
19. Chapter 15: In Every Neighborhood: Grace
20. Chapter 16: The Long Game: Reconnection
21. Chapter 17: Mom: Acceptance
22. Conclusion: Vibrant Family in a Thick Gray Reality
23. Closing Credits