Turn Me Homeward | Intentionality and Synchronicity

written from Julie’s perspective

In life, I have witnessed the alignment of happenings so connected that it makes you feel like the entire Universe revolves around you. Existence feels deeply personal. I’m fascinated with every occurrence of these intertwined events—as if it’s the first time experiencing the phenomenon. Synchronicity will never cease to amaze me.

Years before meeting Colin, I felt his presence in lyrics that infused my soul with connected energy. In every adventure. In moments of solitude. The spaces where I fully experienced myself, I could feel him too. I knew he was nearing home. I could sense it in the core of my being.

After a road trip with my dear friend Rachel Clift to see Dermot Kennedy perform at Marathon Music Works on July 29, 2021, I gained the clarity needed to finally write a book. DK’s music taught me what honest connection feels like. I wanted to love with the same conviction, and I wanted to know that love in return. To feel close to “my person” in the years of being single, I would listen to his music and sit alone in a space deep within. I felt safe here. Seen.

The book was published in the winter of 2022 (on Tuesday 2/22/22 to be exact), and page 111 included an open letter—a raw, energetic calling out to my person. I couldn’t comprehend how or when, but I knew beyond any shadow of doubt that he would find the message and recognize my love as his own (ask Rachel, I have receipts!). Sure enough, Colin was lended a copy in what can only be described as divinely orchestrated. One month after the release date, he bravely reached out in an email to thank me for the resonating words.

Fast forward to 1.11.25, we got married at Red Rocks Amphitheatre at sunrise, spilled our souls upon the rocks, just as the first light touched the peak. Completely unplanned, we shared our first dance on the same stage that we saw Dermot Kennedy together in May 2023.

In August 2024, Colin and I were part of the very small number of people able to get tickets to see Dermot’s intimate show at The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. We were so close that I could reach out and press a key on his piano. It was full-circle. Seemingly unrelated, individual events that significantly changed the course of my life were brought together that night, connecting time and space. I was shown a deeper level of a universal collective.

It started with bringing the original copy of my book with the intention of Dermot Kennedy writing “Homeward” on THE page if we were to have the chance to meet him. I brought an extra copy for him to take. There are too many references to his songs that, given the opportunity, I wanted to extend my gratitude for his vulnerability and expression. Dermot walked into the cafe and sat down to play while wearing a sweatshirt from a local bookstore, and I knew in that moment that both things would happen somehow.

My husband, being obsessed with books, took this as a sign that he needed to go to that same bookstore. He felt that something was waiting for him, and he follows messages like I do. We pulled into the parking lot and I had an instant flashback. “I’ve been here before,” I suddenly shouted. The name didn’t ring any bells during the concert, and the thought of familiarity never even crossed my mind.

My book was about the personal journey to self-discovery—a “spiritual quest” as Jedidiah Jenkins defines his trek from Oregon to Patagonia. It was the intense desire to challenge my comfort zone and Jedidiah’s expedition that gave me the courage to take my own solo cross-country road trip in the Spring of 2016, where I would find the version of myself that felt like home frequency. I chased her wholeheartedly. I was fortunate enough to later meet Jed at a book signing following the release of To Shake The Sleeping Self. Standing in Parnassus Books, I gave him a hug and thanked him for sharing his story because it paved the way to tell mine.

The book Colin found the day after the Bluebird Cafe concert was icing on the cake.

Alignment feels so personal that I have come to believe the Universe is an interactive playground. It responds to you and moves throughout all of us. There’s an energetic bond of truth that resonates, and it feels like homely ground.

Shadows and Dust features Dermot Kennedy in his early days. More than any song I’ve ever heard, Homely Ground embodies my journey to self-discovery. The version of myself that chased her truth, thousands and thousands of miles driven all alone, shedding false identity, knowing this is where I would find home. Feeling he was on his way home too.

2023 vs 2025