Before I Turn 50

A Poetry Collection for Your Learning Days

Dear friends,

“Line by line
May we gather what is meaningful and bright
And tuck it into the folds of our living”

A little over ten years ago, I was sitting at a gathering with a few friends - a bundle of babies between us, and we were having a good catch-up. One friend commented on the fact that I was about to turn 40 (she was a few years older), and we got chatting about dreams as well as that growing sense of mortality that comes with age - so fun! As part of my plans, I told her I wanted to write and put out (notice I didn’t say publish, I had no clue what that even meant then) a book. She laughed, kind of mockingly! People should know better than to laugh at my plans. Ha ha ha. (Cue villainous laugh.)

I went on to write a collection of essays on motherhood called Moments on Mothering. My friend Hannah designed the cover, my friend Cheryl edited the one or two essays I eventually passed on to her, and my husband, aka graphic design graduate, pulled it together on Kindle Direct Publishing. Apart from Cheryl’s handiwork on a few parts, it wasn’t really edited. A few well-meaning “friends” told me that outright! But most of the 200+ people who purchased that collection of essays were so supportive, kind, and truly encouraging.

Don’t go looking for it, though. It’s no longer available due to that editing kerfuffle and the fact that I’ve since published traditionally with the help of multiple editors. God bless and help them. Since then, I’ve published four books with Moody and Tyndale Publishers combined. I’m deeply grateful for these opportunities and the wonderfully warm welcome I’ve received into the publishing world.

My upcoming book, Brave Princess Aina - the third in the Tales of Boldness and Faith series - will launch with Moody Publishers this August. It’s a deeply meaningful story and a joy to share.

But as I approach a milestone birthday - another decade older - I find myself reflecting on who I truly am. Poetry is my first love! I’ve written poetry since I was first given a journal and a fancy glittery pen, but I rarely share it. So, as I near this significant birthday, I’ve decided to share a collection of poetry called Prayers and Poems for Your Learning Days and Other Verses.

This is book one of what will be a growing collection of prayerful poems and liturgical free verse to read over your days and the subjects you’re teaching your children. From maths to music, you’ll find a verse to bless the work of your hands. I’ve also included a blessing for the day, as well as a short collection of poems and reflections I’ve written and curated over the past five years.

The collection will be available as a PDF download so you can print one or two poems you’re using or the whole book - you can stick them on your fridge, tuck one into the sleeve of a maths book, memorise them, spill coffee on them, and print them again!

May these words bless your home, your learning, and your families.

Launch Date: The collection will be available from July 5th—exactly one month before I turn 50—so I can tick off “publish some poetry before I’m 50” from my list!

Special Offer: Collective members will receive a 10% discount on the collection.

A Taste of the Collection:

When We Read a Poem Together

A poem can say a thousand things
in just a few words.

It can remind us
that we’re not alone.

It can wrap around us
like a blanket -

warm with weight and comfort.

A poem can help us see clearly
when our minds feel foggy,
when the film of life
has softened or blurred our view.

It can point us to love,
to beauty,
to help,
to art,
to people,
to places and memories,
to all that we hold dear.

A poem carries music
in the quiet choreography
of words arranged on a page.

A single poem can carry
a thousand kindled thoughts,
arriving gently like birds in flight -

truths we did not know we needed
until the words gave them shape.

As we linger over these lines,
may our eyes see,
our ears hear,
and our minds perceive
what the poet believed mattered
as their pencil moved across the paper.

May the Author of all Words
teach us,
inspire us,
and point us toward what is true.

May we slow down in this moment
and picture each image for ourselves,
so the poem does not stay in the book
or rest only on the page.

Line by line,
may we gather what is meaningful and bright
and tuck it into the folds of our living.

I hope this collection becomes a quiet companion to your learning days.
Make sure you’re subscribed to The Collective on Substack to be the first to know when the collection is available for purchase!

With gratitude,
Leah Boden