"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul."
John Muir
Nature, prayer, contemplation and simple joys make my heart happy. During my early childhood years, I was brought up in wide open space, free to roam and enjoy life's simple gifts in nature. From the very beginning, I preferred quiet places to busy chaotic cities. In truth, I am a bonafide introvert.
Even as a little girl, I liked to write about deep things in my journal. I tended to be quite serious, but also playful and spontaneous. I saw the good in people and stood up for the underdog. Injustice hurt my heart and still does.
After graduating from high school in 1989, I pursued a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and a Bachelor's in teaching from the University of British Columbia. During my time at UBC, I met my first husband, Jason Laird. We had two lovely boys together--Zach and Carter Laird.
Our worlds fell apart when Jason was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive soft tissue sarcoma in 2001. Within six months of diagnosis, he died. At that time, Zach was four and Carter was two. Little did we know, this was only the beginning of the nightmare that would play out in our lives.
Twelve years after Jay died, Zach, my second husband, Doug, and my mother-in-law were diagnosed with cancer almost simultaneously. My 12-year-old son and my mother-in-law both died. I never imagined I would ever be able to claw my way out of the darkness. Four years later, I have written about our grief journey in In the Cleft Joy Comes in the Mourning: A Story of Hope After Tragedy.
In the Cleft is a moving, inspirational and intensely personal account of grief, hope and love. Readers will grieve, laugh and celebrate as I lead them into the private places of my heart. Everyone has a pain story, and I pray my family's story will be salve for the wounded places in your hearts.
In the Cleft Joy Comes in the Mourning
-Helps your process your own pain stories
-Invites you to move beyond the wounded places of your heart to find joy once again
-Revives and refreshes those who are weary from the day-to-day struggle
-Helps you understand how pain can increase your capacity to love and have deeper compassion
I would love to hear from my readers and can be reached at my website
