Today, you’re reading the second part of our special blog series, Journey Through Books and Bags. In this series, my dear friend Ana shares thoughtful book reviews and reading suggestions just for you. In case you missed it, you can read the first one here.

This edition is inspired by September 1st — a significant day for Ana (and many other parents) as her older child starts school for the first time. She believes this book is the perfect read for such a milestone. Read Ana's Instagram post here.

Beautiful Chaos is a poetry collection by Jess Urlichs, a writer every mom should follow on Instagram. What follows is Ana’s written piece…

The Bag Ana is wearing: Karla Lux in Dark Caramel - SHOP IT HERE.

I’ve been a mother for almost seven years now, and I have yet to find a better description of motherhood (especially in those early stages) than the two words that also title this poetry collection — Beautiful Chaos.

Sometimes, I feel that experiencing motherhood is like being on a boat in the middle of the sea. A lot depends on your ability to steer, but much of it doesn’t. You can prepare and equip yourself as best as possible, get the best education or training — and still, the weather, ocean currents, your experience, your character, and of course, your fellow passengers will all play a role.

Some days are sunny, without a cloud in the sky or a single wave — the kind of day that makes you want to whistle the tune “Somewhere Beyond The Sea.” Other days feel like you're barely staying afloat beneath grey skies, caught in the middle of a storm with rogue waves crashing around you.

A powerful anchor in those moments can be the simple feeling that you are not alone — that someone else is going through exactly what you are, that they understand you completely, even if you've never met them. That your emotions are valid. That you are, so called, normal.

This kind of understanding and connection has been powerfully nurtured through the phenomenon of social media poetry by Jess Urlichs. In Beautiful Chaos, she captures everything — even the things mothers sometimes don’t dare to say out loud.

I’ve read her individual poems over the years, but when I recently read the entire collection for the first time, I experienced it in a completely different way — and still, with tears in my eyes. Because suddenly, it hit me: how incredibly beautiful it all was (and still is), even though it was often (and sometimes still is) so very, very hard. And because it’s only fair to remember, deep in my soul, the indescribable value of both. That’s where the real beauty lies — in the contrast.

Most of all, I saw this entire beautiful chaos of the past seven years all in one timelapse — and it truly took my breath away.

Thank you, @jessurlich, for giving a generation of young mothers visibility and the courage to be honest with ourselves.

My favorite poems of hers — especially in this current season of life, with my firstborn stepping through the school gates for the first time this Monday — are: You Will Always Be My Baby, A Boy Will Always Need His Mum, Stay Little, and, as a mom of two: One to Two. And finally — with our upcoming wedding anniversary — once again and forever: Dear Husband.

To Ana Kompara — thank you for your honesty.
To Jess Urlichs — thank you for your words.

And to every woman reading this: I hope you always carry your own chaos with softness, pride, and the knowing that you are never alone in it.