Contributing to Nina Crespo‘s Readers, Writers and Wellness blog event is author Selena Fulton.
As an author, I love to share the news about books with my friends. I will share announcements of new releases on my Facebook and Twitter and my blog. I love to talk about books to my friends or coworkers. I love sharing what I’ve enjoyed reading that gave me the pleasure of escaping to another world, or perhaps another time. I’ve also recommended self-help books if it has made a difference in my life and I might feel it would help someone else.
This post is about one of those books that made a difference in my life.
In January of 2012, my mother died. She wasn’t just my mom. She was my friend, my cheerleader, my confidante. And now she’s gone. As my first novel came out a few weeks ago and amid all the joy of my new release, tears fell down my cheeks one day, wishing she could see the cover, wishing she knew I finally made it.
Wishing she were here.
After Mom died, I called a friend, and we commiserated about how it feels to lose a parent. She had lost her father not too long before that and suggested I read a book called Heaven is For Real. She said it gave her comfort.
Of course, I downloaded the book and read it. It was a wonderful book and did give me some peace. But my post doesn’t end here.
Losing my mom didn’t just affect me. My dad lost his wife of 53 years that day too. We talked on the phone daily, crying together, talking, grieving. My dad and I were always close, but now we’re even closer. Sometimes he even goes to church with us.
But what really hit me today as I consider what to write for this post was something he said this morning. I speak to him every morning on my way to work, even though this week he’s out of town visiting his sisters. He told me how his sister suggested he read Heaven is For Real and asked if I’d heard about it?
Um, yeah.
You know, I don’t know if I’d mentioned the book to him or not. Those months following Mom’s passing are a blur for me, but this morning, I was thrilled. I told him I’d read the book and it was very good. I was excited about the thought of him reading it.
He told me when he gets home, one thing he’s going to do is renew his library card, and then he’s going to check out Heaven is For Real. Not only do I think he will find some comfort from this book as I did, something else makes me happy about this news.
You see, one of the things Mom and Dad shared during their long marriage was their love of books. He hadn’t been reading much since she died, because it made him miss her. So I am very happy to see that he is following his passion again. I’m happy to see he will be visiting the library again.
All because of books.
Selena Fulton enjoys camping, morning strolls along the seashore, making jewelry, and reading. A multi-published author, she belongs to First Coast Romance Writers and Romance Writers of America. Currently VP of Membership and past Secretary for First Coast Romance Writers, she believes in “paying it forward” by working with fellow authors in her critique groups and judging contests.
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