I can honestly say I have been blessed because the LORD's hands have been on me all the days of my life. He has guided and protected me from childhood to now. He has made my life rich with people and experiences that have made me who I am today. I am forever grateful to my parents, to my husband and our six children and our grandchildren, and to all those who have mentored and nourished me with lessons I would never have learned without them in my life.

This memoir was prompted by my need to understand why grieving for a lost loved one creates so much havoc and pain for me, more than anyone else I know. In retracing my footsteps from childhood to now, I found myself by connecting my past to the present. To those who may walk the same path, you are not alone. This book, written from the heart, is especially for you.

We are all on this pathway, this journey we call life and are in the process of becoming. Life is continual transformation, not about achieving perfection. Acceptance of self and others and our unique place in life gives us the grace we need to move forward and to keep our hearts soft, malleable, sweet instead of bitter, and beating surely with a sense of accomplishment rather than failure.