Six lives were forever changed on a gray December morning in 1997, in a quiet Vancouver, Washington neighborhood near the mighty Columbia River.

It has been about fifteen months of giving birth to the book I’ve been writing.

The task has been difficult, yet so rewarding. Kind of like giving birth. There is first the nine months before baby comes into our life. Those months are exciting and joyous. But there is also morning sickness, back pain, a growing waistline until there is no waist, to the pain–yes pain–of childbirth. Our lives are forever changed because of this pregnancy and giving birth.

I’m in the end stages of this “pregnancy” or birth of my newest book and I want to pique your interest in this book that I hope you will want to read and recommend it to others. It’s a story of resilience and faith inspired by a couple whose daughter’s name was Hannah. She was tragically taken from them years ago through a terrible accident. Below encapsulates what the book is:

Their journey, marked by Hannah’s enduring grace, became a book to share their story of loss and faith with others.

While I’ve been working on the manuscript, I set my alarm for 5 :00 AM, three to four mornings a week. I work for a couple of hours and then begin my “regular” day with my husband.

We are retired, and I guess we could be golfing, or going on a cruise, or just sleeping in. We actually do  go on cruises from time to time, although presently, I’ve felt the call of God to write this true story of a couple and how they coped and survived the tragedy in the loss of their daughter. That means I don’t take time off, but work more hours than I normally would.

Before I begin writing, I read my Bible and ask God to speak to me through His words in the Bible. God has been with me through these past fifteen months. Sometimes I’ve cried out, saying, “This is too hard.” But then, through reading the Bible, hearing sermons from my wonderful pastor, and also reading a very old devotional book called Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman, I’ve been strengthened for the task.

The readings have bolstered me when I cried out in prayer that I couldn’t do it any longer. I believe God had placed this task for a reason and I needed to do it even though it was hard. Like having a baby is hard.

At last, the end is in sight.

Stay tuned for more on this book coming out in a few months. You will laugh. You will cry. And you will rejoice with the couple who vulnerably share their story.

I’m going to share a rendition of a really simple worship song that was and still is one of the main character’s favorite song. God is So Good. I hope you might be encouraged by the simple words and tune.

 

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