‘Everyone has a garden ... Even if it’s that piece of soul that nurtures dreams.”

Like a garden, can the soul grow? With a bit of love, support, and guidance, Jennifer Schulz-Johnston thinks so. In fact, she’s dedicated her life to it from an early age.

Jennifer has been a passionate therapist and counselor, serving children and families in the Chippewa Valley community for quite some time. Jennifer and her late husband, Dr. Thomas Johnston, founded Marriage & Family Health Services in 1982. During their 34 years, MFHS has grown to meet the needs of families in all of western Wisconsin.

However, Jennifer has another passion. On the weekends and in small windows of free time, she writes. Since 2007, she has grappled with a novel, and now she’s finally a published author.

Her new book, The Widow’s Garden, which released in September, is about the loveable yet troubled character Kaya, who lives in the historic third ward of Clairemont, Wis. (sound familiar?). She’s a writer stuck in her career and personal life. When the community’s beautification committee knocks on her door, however, she’s forced to clean up her neglected property for the sake of a national contest to appear in a gardening magazine.

She hires a gardener, Cole, and together they plant the seeds of a gorgeous garden, and in the process Kaya herself grows, overcoming challenges of the past and present to find a positive outlook on her purpose. These challenges range from strained family relationships and internal fears to ridiculous accusations of witchcraft.

“Kaya at the start of the story is a culmination of my anxieties, worries and fears,” Jennifer said. “At the end, she is more the person I aspire to be.”

Jennifer’s novel is deep and compelling; however, the nine-year story of it’s creation, perhaps, is equally inspiring.

“I started writing this book in 2007, not knowing the plot, the characters,” Jennifer told me. “The only thing that was clear was the title. I recall mentioning the title to my husband and wondering if I should change it, as it seemed dark, even morbid. My husband urged me to stay with it and see what progressed.”

She continued to write with the frequent help of her husband, Tom, who encouraged her and read rough drafts; he even helped Jennifer write one of the most critical scenes. Sadly, Tom passed away last December after a five year battle with ocular melanoma, which metastasized to his liver.

“Most of the serious human experiences come from my life,” Jennifer said. “We get through them and learn and grow best when we’re surrounded by people who love us. It may sound cliché, but love truly conquers all.” She added, “I guess maybe in the scheme of things, The Widow’s Garden is an instruction manual to myself about how to heal, move forward, and keep living even after such a profound loss.”

Jennifer’s journey to publish her book was anything but easy. When many would give up, she kept writing and found a form of healing in her words. Readers are likely to catch a similar feeling.

“The story persevered regardless of my efforts to impose my own meaning on it. I wanted to scrap it so many times. I’m very glad I didn’t,” she said. “Sometimes, when it’s hard to sleep, I start reading it. Odd as it may be, it brings me comfort.”

The Widow’s Garden is available at The Local Store, 205 N. Dewey St., and online at Amazon and elsewhere.