Did you know that?

You are. Really.

It may not feel like it sometimes. I don’t feel like it’s true very much. But honestly, the very nature of parenthood means staring the unknown, potentially heart-wrenching future in the face and doing.it.anyway.

For us, brave looks like the start of Kindergarten. My twins got on that big yellow bus for the first time this fall and entered a big new world. It was a huge leap forward for our family (going from four preschoolers to only the 2 littles at my side was just WOW!), and they have thrived in their new environment. But it isn’t always easy. I have learned so much about who they are. I’ve gotten to watch them deal with people, try new things, find out they can do so much more than they ever realized. So much more than I ever realized! I’ve been stumped more than once about how to help them, correct them, encourage them. It’s hard not to compare. But every day, we get up. I make lunches. We attempt to make it to the bus stop on time. We are brave.

My oldest niece is almost in middle school. My brother and sister-in-law are braving the crazy new world of Junior High. How much to hold her back (which is easier). How much freedom to grant as she tries new things (which is much harder). How to answer bigger questions, handle harder tests. They are brave.

The moms I know are dealing with other issues: terminal illnesses, job loss, a major move. They are wondering about car seats and SATs. They are trying to balance life and work and kids and husbands. They are wondering if they are good enough, if they are ruining their children, if something really, really horrible is right around the next corner. They face fears every day. They handle tantrums and crises and broken toys and broken hearts. Every day. Because they are brave.

Yes, you are brave. But for the moments when you aren’t so sure, it’s good to be reminded that you are not alone. Such is the beauty of friendships, of moms groups, of playdates, and of good books. Books like Brave Mom by Sherry Surratt, President of MOPS International and a mom like us. It’s a chapter-by-chapter breakdown of many of the most difficult fears and concerns that everyday moms face every day. She gives helpful, practical advice for dealing with our fears. She reminds us that God has provided answers for our crises and concerns. She includes stories of moms like us, moms who’ve been there and survived. Brave Mom reminds us that we are not alone. It reminds us that we are brave.

Of course, it may not feel that way today. It may feel like you are drowning, neck-deep in something way beyond yourself. But keep your head up, find a mom friend to chat with, go get yourself a coffee, read a book that will encourage you and then…just keep going. Because, you are, indeed, brave.

*I received a free copy of Brave Mom to review.

I read the book in a single day…quite a feat when you realize that I have four preschoolers and never get to read more than a few paragraphs, much less a whole book.

But this book is one of the few that must be read entirely. You must know the end. You have to see where the journey leads. It cannot be read in fits and starts. This journey is hard and long and God-filled. It will leave you sobbing for breath and will steal your breath away at the beauty of all that God is and how he stands guard over the brokenhearted.

The book is And Life Comes Back by Tricia Lott Williford.

It is the story of the sudden death of her young, healthy husband. It is the tale of her entrance into widowhood at age 31 and the journey she makes, with her two young sons, through the valley and towards what lies beyond it.

For the sake of full disclosure, you will not get through these pages without tears. Even if you are not, right now, in deep grief, you will mourn with her. Married readers will face their own fears as you sit beside her while her husband of ten years dies and then as she tries to find a new life without him. Parents will weep along with her as she must recount her husband’s last moments to his two young sons and learn to parent all alone.

Williford’s words are deep and raw. They call the reader to walk with her, to observe her grief, and to be better prepared for the moment when each of us must also start down a similar path. She does not offer answers or platitudes. She does not offer cliches and not all of what she has to say will sit easy with you. But they are true. And they are real.

And for someone who is walking a road of deep grief, Tricia Lott Williford’s words may be just the ones to offer a life preserver. Because even as we walk the road of her loss, she does not wallow there. In every page, there is hope. In each chapter, there is God, showing up, giving generously, holding her family together when all darkness seems to be swallowing them up.

And Life Comes Back is not an easy read. It is deeply painful and full of grief. But it is whole and offers the promise of healing, healing that comes in part right now and healing that will only be complete on the other side of death’s strange door. It is hard to read, but it is well worth the time to walk with Tricia on her journey of grief.

And Life Comes Back

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.