Under the Laurel Tree: The Story of My Next Book

Yesterday I announced the topic of my next book on my other blog, Time Eternal–and promptly went offline (and ate a ton of Ethiopian food with the husband) for the rest of the day because of Vulnerability Hangover…

Four years ago, I found out that something I assumed would be a given–something I had grown up staking my heart on–may never come to be.

Until then, I had never really faced a struggle that was truly insurmountable. For the most part, whatever challenges came my way were resolved by extra studying, diligent research, a better-paying job, therapy, medication, or (in my more faithful moments) prayer.

But this new thing, this new, dark possibility, wouldn’t (and hasn’t) responded to any of my best efforts or prayers–faithfully offered or otherwise.

Grief enters our lives through all sorts of different doors–death, unemployment, sickness, physical infirmity, and so many others I can scarcely begin to count.

And to some, especially those who perhaps have never faced it, this particular grief may not seem like a big one. There are, as I once believed myself, worse things in life.

But then you find yourself here–unexpectedly, for no apparent reason, and against not only your wishes but pretty much every expectation you had for your adult life–and you quickly realize this is no minor thing. This, indeed, affects everything.

Read the full post here.