My Book

Towdah: A Cancer  Survivor’s Song of Hope  was never my intent; being a published author was never on the radar for my goals in life.  I was a busy home schooling mother of nine children and I had more than enough to do.  Days would run into each other and I would often lose track of them, I went from one urgent need to the other and often prayed, when will this life slow down!

Like the old saying, “father knows best,” my Father did know best.  My Father in heaven allowed cancer into my life.  The day I found out, I was devastated; I was jumping up and down inside my heart exclaiming, “Let this not be true God!” Yet, I had cancer.  Dread immobilized me.  Angry, I shook my fist at God.  Then weariness gave it all up; and I faced the hard question head on, “Why me?”  I fell before my Father and wept, and surrendered.  I endured treatment and suffered a lot.  I eventually came to a place of actually thanking God for the cancer.  Cancer ushered me into an intimacy with my Abba Father that I never before experienced.  Holding my Father’s hand, I was able to answer why me, and many other hard questions as I persevered in this dark trial.

As my chemotherapy treatments came to an end, I found myself compelled to write.  I desired to tell my story to my extended family and planned to give them a plastic bound journal booklet for a New Year’s gift this past January 2011.  Writing was so easy.  The words came effortlessly.  This is when I knew.  I knew that this was the working of the Holy Spirit.  I was driven and I sometimes stayed up til 3 in the morning writing; and yet, I was not tired.  I was bright and alert and knowing even more organically that my Father was orchestrating this work.

As a few of my friends proof-read my story, they urged me to publish, saying, “more people will want to read this besides your family.”  I reluctantly investigated the self-publishing route and then the searched for well known publishing companies and I became overwhelmed and confused.  I was giving up and decided I would just print a few extra copies at the local Staples and be done with it.  But, God had another plan.

With more words to tell than I have space to write, God opened doors in a way that only He could have. My good friend Phee sent me the link to WIP and the posted “Call” for submissions pertaining to Hope for the Hopeless.  God was on the move!

Towdah: A Cancer Survivor’s Song of Hope was always God’s intention.  He intended me to be a published author.  Today, I gratefully accept this gift.  Where He leads me next is a mystery to me, but I am willing and I say “yes” to His plan for my life.  I hope that you are encouraged with the words of my story and that you will know in your heart that God is always there for you, especially in those dark places He allows into each of our lives.