While writing Saving Amelie, my mother-in-law lay dying. I learned what it means to care, day and night, for another human being in the most intimate ways. And despite my love for her, I grasped how the ideologies of the me-first eugenics movement—which was not confined to Nazi Germany—had insidiously infiltrated our world.
But I also learned the truth beyond those lies—that to walk through the end of life with another, to hold her hand as she prepared to leave behind her cumbersome earthly shell and enter eternity was—is—a sacred journey—a unique privilege.
Shortly after my mother-in-law’s funeral, we learned that our daughter and son-in-law were expecting their first child. As God knit that precious baby together through a difficult pregnancy, caution tempered hope. On the day our granddaughter was safely delivered, our world was reborn.
I’ve always believed in the extraordinary, God-given value of human life, but in that year, and in the writing of Saving Amelie, the celebration of life—from conception to grave—filled me, changed me. I’m thrilled to share that journey through my website and FB, and the things I’ve learned through Saving Amelie. Saving Amelie is available in stores and online.
God’s blessings for you,
Comments 2
Hi Cathy –
I recently finished Saving Amelie, and it’s my favorite of all your books. (Of course, I say that with every new book you write!)
The themes explored are close to my heart. Like you with your mother-in-law, I walked my husband to the edge of eternity. My mother came close several times, but God brought her back to health.
I believe such experiences give us a greater appreciation for life and an understanding of its fragility.
Congratulations on a wonderful book and that beautiful grandbaby!
Blessings,
Susan 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing this journey, Susan! I knew this book would resonate with you. We share concerns for our country and its people, and for Christians everywhere.
Yes, it’s a blessed, but, oh, so difficult journey to walk to the end of this life with a loved one. I’m sure that was especially hard to make that journey with your beloved David.
I’m so thankful you have your dear mother. I still have mine, too, though her health is certainly challenged and she lives a long way away. I often wish I could gather all my loved ones–the very young and the old–into one nest and care for them all! But, I know our Heavenly Father knows every need and provides in so many ways I cannot.
You’re right–these experiences give us a greater appreciation for life and an understanding of its fragility.
I promise to enjoy every minute with my sweet grand baby!
God’s rich blessings for you,
Cathy