Being a good mom isn't about doing everything right to create a set of perfect trophy children--though every mom has felt the pressure to do just that and to do it all on her own. To ask for help feels like defeat. Yet when we try to do it all by our own strength, we end up depleted, lonely, and ineffective. Heather MacFadyen wants you to know that you are not meant to go it alone. Sharing her most vulnerable, hard mom moments, she shows how moms can be empowered by God, supported by others, and connected with their children. With encouragement and insight, she helps you foster the key relationships you need to be the mom you want to be. Whether you work or stay home, whether you have teenagers or babes in arms, you'll find here a compassionate friend who wants the best--not just for your kids but for you.

Named one of Esquire's "Best Nonfiction Books of 2018" "Sharp and searching...a potent look at the fraught, painful, and complicated relationship between parents and children, and the mysteries — revelatory, difficult — that can and cannot be solved." — Boston Globe Anya Yurchyshyn grew up in a narrow townhouse in Boston, every corner filled with the souvenirs of her parents’ adventurous international travels. On their trips to Egypt, Italy, and Saudi Arabia, her mother, Anita, and her father, George, lived an entirely separate life from the one they led as the parents of Anya and her sister – one that Anya never saw. The parents she knew were a brittle, manipulative alcoholic and a short-tempered disciplinarian: people she imagined had never been in love. When she was sixteen, Anya’s father was killed in a car accident in Ukraine. At thirty-two, she became an orphan when her mother drank herself to death. As she was cleaning out her childhood home, she suddenly discovered a trove of old letters, photographs, and journals hidden in the debris of her mother’s life. These lost documents told a very different story than the one she’d believed to be true – of a forbidden romance; of a loving marriage, and the loss of a child. With these revelations in hand, Anya undertook an investigation, interviewing relatives and family friends, traveling to Wales and Ukraine, and delving deeply into her own difficult history in search of the truth, even uncovering the real circumstances of her father’s death – not an accident, perhaps, but something more sinister. In this inspiring and unflinchingly honest debut memoir, Anya interrogates her memories of her family and examines what it means to be our parents’ children. What do we inherit, and what can we choose to leave behind? How do we escape the ghosts of someone else’s past? And can we learn to love our parents not as our parents, but simply as people? Universal and personal; heartbreaking and redemptive, My Dead Parents helps us to see why sometimes those who love us best hurt us most.

"No one book resolves a lifetime of hurts and misunderstandings, but it can remove the blinders from our eyes. Make an effort now." LOS ANGELES TIMES No matter how old you are and whether or not your parents are alive, you have to come to terms with them. This wise and practical book will show you how to deal with the most fundamental relationships in your life and, in the process, become the happy, creative, and fulfilled person you are meant to be.

An after-work walk to clear her mind was what Mallory Kerrigan intended, but spotting Caitlyn Gooding on the river trail interrupts her plans. At work she had watched as a distraught Caitlyn signed over the deed of her house to her ex-husband. Caitlyn's finances are none of Mallory's business, but she strikes up a conversation anyway. Their long conversation begins a friendship and their compatibility leads the newly divorced Mallory to propose that Caitlyn and her two sons move in with Mallory and her daughter to share expenses. It seems an ideal arrangement--except to Zoe, who is no happier about sharing her house than she is about her parents' divorce. But life is full of surprises ... including a friendship that deepens into far more.

As the story opens John Reynolds, a young marine officer in New Zealand, is recuperating in a navy hospital in Auckland after being wounded on Guadalcanal. When he recovers, he rejoins his battalion at the sprawling Marine encampment just north of Wellington. Visiting the city on a weekend pass, he meets Grace Lucas, a local girl, on a streetcar. This is the beginning of a love affair which culminates in the couple’s secret engagement weeks before the marines sail from Wellington en route to the amphibious assault on the Japanese garrison on the island of Tarawa. In one of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific war, Reynolds is severely wounded and evacuated to the navy hospital in Honolulu, where he’s left in a coma. Grace, having received no news, fears the worst. When she discovers she’s pregnant, she’s banished by her parents to a farm in the countryside. Amid the horrors of combat, Always Faithful delivers a heartwarming story of faithfulness and redemption.

All throughout his life, Jose Martinez had been plagued by Demons and the Horrors of life. He has fought many battles. Not battles of war but battles of the mind and spirit. He has fought his way through life to stay alive and better himself through all his tribulations.He saw that God was great and that God never once gave up on him. The man who once ran the streets was now running the Grace of God through his prayers and his sermons. The one who once belonged to a gang, now belongs to God. Jose Martinez now a Chaplain and a Youth Pastor, challenges people to change their lives for the better. The fate of the world hangs on us.This is a true life story and with this remarkable testimony, it will not only open your mind to the ways of the world, but it will touch your heart and challenge you to change your life for the better... Challenge you to be Radical."Throughout my life, I believed in God but did not know or fully understand God. For the first time in my life, Thanks to Jose, I am starting to understand. I realized not too long ago that God placed him into my life when he did for a reason. He placed a man who could save my life into my life when the worst part of my life was about to occur before I even knew it was coming."Wayne R. LaPointe

This story is based on a true love story that spanned almost two decades. The names and places have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals involved in this affair. The chronological sequence of events has been maintained for continuity. All the stories and experiences are based on facts. This book is about a love story that was kept secret for 18 years and perhaps shouldve remained a secret. The first book related to this love story was a book of poems entitled Somewhere, Sometime, Somehow: Love Poems and Short Stories published in 2008 by this author and Xlibris. For the perceptive reader of this book one can trace the ups and downs of our love relationship. These 18 years were filled with robust love and passion for each other. Perhaps it was fantasy; perhaps it was the most real thing we will ever experience. The heartbreaking part of this love affair is that I am not really sure my lover ever really understood or appreciated my profound and unconditional love for her. I opened my heart to her through poetry and thoughtful letters, but she rarely showed me what was in her heart. Perhaps it was a one-sided love affair, but I surely think and hope not. I was convinced that she truly loved me through her words and actions. At least I experienced a pure love that I had only dreamed was possible. The story is told mainly through the exchange of letters and emails to each other. Perhaps readers can experience and hopefully feel the deep love we felt for each other.

It had all began with a handheld mirror. Now, at the age of fifteen, Skylar Montgomery has to do what he promised and wish his mom goodbye. He never imagined life without the only parent he had. He misses her so much he swears he can smell the lavender lotion she used, hear her voice and feel her presence. Even with his grandparents at his side, he doesn’t know how he will make it through each day without her. But, he knows his mom died with a secret, and he’s almost positive it’s about his dad. Ryan Kelley never imagined a letter from his longtime friend, Savannah Montgomery, was to tell him she’s dying and they share a son. He doesn’t expect the anger from Savannah’s dad, James, when he shows up at their home unannounced, and when he meets his son for the first time finds it shocking at their almost identical resemblance. He missed fifteen years of his son’s life and doesn’t plan to miss any more. Reed Russell’s life started in foster care. He never had friends until he met Skylar in third grade, and struggles knowing Ryan won’t let Skylar stay with his grandparents. His mood continues to sour at how naïve his friend is in thinking life won’t change. How could his friend be so stupid? Can Skylar open his heart to let his dad and his dad’s family in without losing his best friend and the cherished memories of his mom? What are you waiting for—don’t you want to find out?

This book is a compilation of the poems written over a 25 year time period. The topics are varied as is the abilities of the author. Some of the poems are very good, while others were a waste of paper. Inspiration is a funny thing and one never knows what idea might strike next. This project was merely an attempt to get all the scraps of paper and blog entries in one place so family and friends could read his attempts at poetry if they felt a need to punish themselves.