Doré Frances, Author at Dore Frances

About Doré Frances

Doré Frances is a retired educational consultant, mental health advocate, and founder of Mental and Health Awareness—a platform dedicated to empowering individuals and families with compassionate, accessible resources. With decades of experience supporting young adults, caregivers, and behavioral health programs, Doré now focuses on community engagement and promoting meaningful change through education, storytelling, and collaboration. Known for her direct yet deeply empathetic approach, Doré brings a lifetime of lived experience to her writing, blending professional insight with personal reflections on resilience, trauma recovery, and personal growth. She is especially passionate about youth advocacy, emotional wellness, and amplifying the voices of those often unheard. When she's not writing or connecting with like-minded advocates, you can find Doré exploring the beauty of Colorado with her service dog, Aspen. Let’s build a more understanding, mentally healthy world—one story at a time.

Welcome to Driftwood Cove

Some stories begin with a carefully planned outline. Driftwood Cove began on a napkin.

My daughter was five years old, and we were sitting at a table at Chili’s Great Chili in Pacific Grove, California.

While we waited, I began sketching out an idea for a children’s story on the napkin in front of me. I could see a little seaside village. There would be a harbor and fishing boats, a lighthouse watching over the coast, beaches and tide pools, wooded trails, hidden coves, and all sorts of creatures living along the shore and beneath the water. I didn’t know exactly what I was creating. I only knew that I could see it. And then life happened.

That little world stayed with me, […]

By Doré Frances|2026-10-01T12:04:00-06:00October 1st, 2026|Driftwood Cove, Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments

Beneath My Silence – When Evening Comes

When evening comes and the noise of the day grows quiet, I find myself looking back at all the hours have carried. Some moments brought joy.

Others left a heaviness I am still learning to release. Yet somewhere between them were the small things ~

a kind word,
an unexpected smile, a moment of beauty I might have missed had I not stopped long enough to notice.

Perhaps these are the gifts that hold a life together.

As the sun disappears and the first stars find their place, I let the day become what it was. I cannot change what happened. I do not need to carry every worry into tomorrow.

So I breathe.

I give thanks for what was good, make peace with what was difficult, […]

By Doré Frances|2026-09-26T12:03:05-06:00September 26th, 2026|Beneath My Silence - Poems, Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments

When Caring Becomes Carrying: What Codependency Taught Me About Love And Boundaries

I have a dear friend who lives in assisted living. Spending time there has caused me to think about something I understand all too well: the very thin line between caring deeply for another person and becoming responsible for things that are not ours to carry.

I see families who love one another deeply. Adult children trying to make life easier for aging parents.

Family members worrying, checking, helping, reminding, arranging, fixing, and sometimes stepping in before they have even been asked. There is nothing inherently wrong with any of that. We should care for the people we love. But sometimes caring can quietly become carrying. I recognize the difference because, for many years, I didn’t know there was […]

By Doré Frances|2026-09-25T11:33:48-06:00September 25th, 2026|Personal Growth, Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments

Notes From George – You Can’t Do It Wrong

As children, George and I were naturals at trial and error. We would try something, fall flat, get back up, and try again. Sometimes we laughed. Sometimes we wailed. Either way, we kept going. Then life became harder.

We were criticized for our mistakes and reminded of our shortcomings so often that failure began to feel dangerous. Eventually, we both learned to protect ourselves from it. We just did it in very different ways.

George became more hesitant to try new things. I went the opposite direction and threw myself headfirst into risk. I learned to push harder, work harder, and prove myself. But emotional risk was different for both […]

By Doré Frances|2026-09-24T12:36:53-06:00September 24th, 2026|Emotional Healing, Notes From George Collections, Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments

The Girl Left Behind – When Are We Going Home?

I don’t have many concrete memories from that day. There are no photographs or home movies to fill in the missing pieces. What remains are fragments—voices, expressions, nervous energy, and feelings that are difficult to put into words even now.

Everything felt surreal. I remember being anxious for George and me. I remember knowing that something terrible had happened without understanding what was going to happen to us next. No child should have to experience that kind of uncertainty.

“When are we going home?” I asked in my small voice.

No one answered.

“Would you like to stay here with us?” Aunt Connie asked. “Would you like to go to school here?”

Again, I didn’t answer. My father stood […]

By Doré Frances|2026-09-20T11:49:43-06:00September 20th, 2026|The Girl Left Behind Collections, Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments

Beneath My Silence – Where Wisdom Lives

Wisdom does not come from knowing everything.

It comes from living, from losing, from loving, from breaking and finding our way back.

It grows in the moments that touch us deeply and change something within us.

Perhaps wisdom was never about knowing more.

Perhaps it is about having the courage to feel it all.

By Doré Frances|2026-09-20T10:18:33-06:00September 20th, 2026|Beneath My Silence - Poems, Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments

The Girl Left Behind – Before I Knew to Be Afraid

In one of my earliest memories, my mother scoops me into her arms and sets me on the bare back of her favorite horse. I am about three years old, and from up there, it feels as though I am a mile off the ground.

I grab a fistful of the horse’s mane to steady myself.

I love the feeling immediately—the height, the warmth of the animal beneath me, the sense that I am somewhere I belong.

I don’t get to stay there long. My father is worried I’ll fall and scolds my mother for putting me in danger.

My first horseback ride is brief, but something about it stays with me. From then on, I am fascinated by […]

By Doré Frances|2026-09-19T13:23:03-06:00September 19th, 2026|The Girl Left Behind Collections, Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments

Beneath My Silence – True Companionship

Some companionship needs no words.

It is simply there ~
walking beside you, resting near you, sharing the quiet moments that might otherwise feel empty.

Aspen will never know all the ways her presence has changed my life. She knows when I have had a difficult day and when my heart is carrying something I haven’t spoken aloud.

She knows to stay close. There is something extraordinary about being loved without explanation, without expectation, without needing to be anything other than who you are.

With Aspen, there is no pretending. No need to fill the silence. No fear of saying the wrong thing. There is simply the […]

By Doré Frances|2026-09-19T13:04:05-06:00September 19th, 2026|Beneath My Silence - Poems, Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments

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