Letting go is not easy
930129
When something has haunted you for a long time and really truly hurt you deep down inside it is hard not to continue to harbor it. That's where it has been for so long so you don't know how to process it or move it out of your life. Bishop Jakes eloquently explains why you should in this book. Reading this book and some others has made me not even want to watch TV anymore. If you don't know how to let go of the past and the hurt and the wounds w/question marks behind it then this is a book you should read. I would recommend for anyone!
2940295
It's hard to face the time to say goodbye, the last goodbye. And it is even harder to face the morning after. To lose one's parents while still single and young and to be "no one's special person," triggers a panic in one's gut that no amount of preparation can totally annihilate. Yet this book, "The Rules of Inheritance" does go a long way to help one "emerge from the fog of grief;" to deal with the call to go on. Even if you have not lost a parent or spouse of sibling, it will eventually happen, that is the way of life whether we like it or not. Claire Bidwell Smith went through it at a very young age, living with the anticipation of such loss from the age of 14. But suffering such loss and being able to share that loss and pain is another thing. The author has a very special talent that allows the reader to walk the walk with her; a walk that healed her and will go a long ways to healing the reader or prepare the reader. Her training in poetry helps in knowing the right words that resonate with the panic. She lumps the process of grieving into five rules and places her story in those five groupings. She doesn't tell you to face your own loss or even think about it. She offers her's so you can heal along with her. Although you might need a lot of Kleenexes with you when you read this book in is a good read, a healing read. It is very powerful.
144417
Letting go helped me really to let go. It helped me to breathe out or even notice my breathing.
4623091
It is hard to see the control person you are until it is pointed out in this book.  I don't like the person I am when I am struggling to control everyday situations.
This book is excellent to help a controlling person to let go of some of the things that set off the controlling behaviors.
3132821
Strong women with good intentions, but different path ideas, can bring about a lot of conflict. Letting go of the notion that we can maintain control of our lives is an idea to let go of and move away from.
Very has a tight grip on her husband's congregation until he suddenly dies. Trying to find her way in these new circumstances, is not only a trial for her, but anyone else in her path.
1287247
Most of my life I have felt that I was and should be in control.  I look back and realize how many mistakes I made and how many people I truly hurt because I had to do it my way.  After reading this book and noticing that I have shared, in some respects, sins with the author and how her life has turned around because she has surrendered and continues to surrender each and every day to the Lord our God, that I should absolutely continue in my journey of surrender.  Through counseling, supportive friends and family, and Jesus Christ, I have found that my life is turning around.  I just have to surrender - ALL to Him.  It is not easy.  However, Andrea's book is simple to read and follow and inspires readers to desire freedom in Him.  Blessings to you all.
1497377
Leaving, moving on, starting over, all easy things to say, but they are the hardest things to achieve. For Wren, leaving was the best thing for her, it wasn't easy and the pain is there she had to do it. Her life was wrapped up in her past and now, she is lost. She goes to a cabin to find herself, to ensure that her new clothing line does get lost along with her sense of self. Beautiful and serene, she isn't finding the discovery she thought she would, until she sees Anderson. Anderson the man that fixes up the cabins in the town, but she is feelings things that are to fast for her...right?
Anderson, lost living in the past, not able to move past the death of his cousin, his best friend, the guilt. He has closed himself off form all those that were part of his past, living along side with them, but not with them. Then he sees her, Wren unloading her car to fill her house.
Two lost souls suffering and searching for something that would bring light and comfort and understanding. That is what they become to each other.
I felt her pain as I read through this book. I felt it because I am her, I suffer the same situation and live through it. Wishing for the freedom she found. I admire her, dream of a day that I can be her. A powerful book with an inspiring message. Love yourself and then share that love.
2984079
Reading a memoir is like being invited into another persons world and experiencing their life first hand. A good memoir shares a universal trutha takeawayfor the reader. The main takeaway in this memoir is how letting go of a beloved mother can be an opportunity to celebrate life and every precious moment left. The major themes are parental loss, the mother-daughter bond and letting go.

In Lisa Goitchs memoir, we meet her mother, Millie Goich who has been sent home from the hospital to prepare for her final days.  A foreward by bestselling author, Mitch Albom and by Millie sets the stage for the heartwrenching letting go process told from the authors point of view. What happens in those two weeks turns out to be an extraordinary celebration of Millies life.

Goichs writing is honest, empathic and engaging and is reflective of a great love for her mother. I appreciated how she wove in humor to provide some light moments. Her little dog, Angie even comes alive on the page. Her characters are fully developed, especially Millie, to the point where I could see her, hear her and sense her larger than life persona, make sure you take cookies home when you leave  often being her parting words to visitors.

The authors reflections about the letting go process were stunning in their breathtaking clarity and raw emotions. They reconnected me to the memory of being at my beloved fathers bedside where I was so privileged to hold his hand for hours as he left us. I felt consoled by my own memory as well as by the authors ability to gracefully let go in the end.

I admire the authors ability to share her deepest feelings so clearly and openly and I feel very honored to have met Millie Goich.  In sharing her story of love, loss and letting go, Lisa has touched us all. I highly recommend this book not only as a poignant and powerful story but as a guidebook for anyone experiencing the loss of a loved one. A beautiful tribute to a beloved mother.
320259
The argument of letting go of control and focusing and connecting and loving the child is really interesting to me. I really fought with the idea at first because it's so different with what I've been taught from my family this whole time.
2386988
As a person who has wrestled with the compulsion to make everything "right" I understand doing for everybody else and letting your own life, especially your inner life, be put on hold. The day of reckoning is but postponed. The author demonstrates the transformation of letting go of bitterness and not holding onto the ghosts of those who we think have us in thrall, when, upon examination, we are clinging to out of habit.n
4891742
This book will challenge you in a way that takes hold of you and won't let go. You cannot walk away and ignore it. A choice of how to live out our lives has to be made!
3878692
This book was a Can't-Wait Wednesday pick for me, and my initial thoughts based on the synopsis were that there would be a lot of suffering and loss. I can confirm, that the main character and her siblings suffered a lot in the story, but they also pushed forwards, and as the title states, they let go.

Pro: Considering this was a book about domestic abuse, there was a strong sense of family woven into the story. After their loss, family and family-like members reached out to help Brooke and her siblings, reconnecting with them after many years. I was happy to watch these relationships grow and flourish as Brooke and her siblings worked through their issues.

Pro: We shared many painful and beautiful moments with these three siblings. Though their connections were strained, I never doubted their love for each other.

Pro: I like that this was not a story of abuse. We did witness some abuse through flashbacks, but the bulk of the story was the aftermath. Brooke had to deal with the emotional damage, as well as, manage her life without her parents. Don't get me wrong, this was painful, but I appreciate the focus on the recovery versus the battle to survive.

Con: Although hopeful, the ending left me a little wanting. I watched these three kids struggle throughout the book and would have liked a few more questions answered.

Pro: Thank you, Amber Smith, for giving us Dani and Tyler. They provided most of the bright spots in this story, and I really needed those moments.

Pro: This was a tough and honest look at the cycle of abuse. Brooke's grandparents were abused or abusers, and her parents ended up being abused or abusers. By the end of this book, I felt hopeful that the cycle would end here for this family. Brooke and her sister were getting professional help, they were talking about what happened, and were receiving care and support, which had previously been missing.

Pro: Witnessing Brooke trying to hold onto her past life brought tears to my eyes, because the harder she tried to keep things the same, the more she unraveled. I breathed a sigh of relief, when she finally came to terms with the situation, and, as her siblings had, let go.

Pro: Brooke was a fighter, no doubt, and I was rooting for her the whole time. She made mistakes. She paid for her mistakes, but she grew and came out stronger from this ordeal.

Overall: This was a beautifully written book about something very ugly. My heart broke over and over again as Brooke tried to hold onto the past with both hands. However, my heart was mended, when she ultimately found solace by letting go.
4247955
This book is a world that is alien to me, which is part of the reason I chose to read it. I know nothing of sexual assaults, domestic violence and drug use, and I wanted to see what it's like from someone who's been there, and managed to break free of it.

At times, I had to stop because it was so raw and I needed a break, but half way through, it was hard to put down. I was rooting for the author to break her addiction, and was so happy she made it to rehab and strove to live a clean life. However, once out, things aren't as simple as shutting that part of your life away.

I've never had an addiction to drugs, so for me, it's hard to imagine that once you start to lose everything and even almost die from it, the way the drugs turn you into something so undesirable, how relapsing can ever enter your mind is beyond me, but full credit to the author here for keeping clean and enjoying life without the need for drugs. Thank you for sharing your world.
609964
I recently finished reading the true story of Repairing Rainbows by Lynda Fishman.  It reminded me of how important it is to take control of your life.  To grow, heal and love once again, no matter your past.  Her journey from losing her mother and two sisters at the young age of thirteen, growing with a father numb from the loss and the effects that carried into her adult life.  I can only imagine the silence of a home filled with sadness.  And how hard it is to pick up the job of homemaker without the training a mother gives.  You can read a segment of Repairing Rainbows here.  Lynda also learned to put a harness on her life.  That she controls the path she takes.  It is all in choices we make.  Yes, we can not control what happens around us.  But we can choose on how to respond to those events.  Lynda does what she has to do with a CAN DO attitude.
1581885
Well, after much hestitation and putting it off I finally sat down to read  this book.  I was surprised to find it a good story.  Its a story about  freedom, remaining free at all cost. Its about community and watching out  for one another.  Then, there is Beloved who is looking for love from the  person who took life away from her.  I guess hearing so much about the  book, I was able to understand the symbolisms that I think I would have  normally missed.  The reading is slow, its difficult, but if you take your  time it comes together.  Even if you don't understand something, I found it  will be revealed later in the book, just hold on.
1291458
This story of Jordyn made me reflect on my own past and how I had lost a lot. Sometimes we try to do things on our own and fight battles that isn't ours to be fighting. I to had to learn to let go and let GOD.This is an extraordinary and powerfully great read.
3980781
Not easy reading, but probes deep into the rejection and abandonment issue, with concrete steps to help with the healing process. Abandonment and rejection are deeply-emotional issues, which is why, even though it is in story-form, it is not easy reading if a person has those deep emotional wounds already. This book should be read with The Journey from Abandonment to Healing, also by Susan Anderson, because they really are intended to go together.