AN EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK:

What happened to me?  

I lost my husband.
I lost two promising careers.
I lost my sense of dignity.
Most painfully of all, the children I never had. 

None of these losses arrived all at once. They unfolded gradually over many years. 

Before the age of twenty, I stepped into the world believing I was strong. I assumed that if a person worked hard, made wise choices, and treated others well, life would eventually reward that effort with stability and meaning. 

Many young people begin with similar confidence. The future appears open and full of possibilities. Hard work seems like a dependable guide. Character appears sufficient to carry a person through whatever lies ahead.  

I believed these things with certainty. 

What I did not understand was how easily life can redirect a person, sometimes slowly and sometimes with startling force.   The losses that shaped my life did not arrive in a single dramatic moment. They appeared in stages. One disappointment led to another. One plan dissolved and was replaced by another attempt.  At times, the changes seemed temporary.   At other times, they felt permanent. 

Looking back now, I can see that I was gradually being led through experiences that would challenge nearly every assumption I once held about success, identity, and worth.    

The loss of my husband altered the direction of my life in ways I could not have predicted. Marriage had once represented stability and companionship. When that stability disappeared, the ground beneath my plans shifted. 

Professional hopes also changed course. Careers that once seemed promising gradually slipped away. Each shift required adjustment. Each adjustment required a measure of resilience that I was not always certain I possessed. 

Yet the most difficult losses were not always the ones others could see.

CONTINUE READING Chapter 1: 

 

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