Text Box: Text Box: Text Box: Readers say, “You’ll laugh, and you’ll cry, but you’ll never underestimate the power of friendship again.” Although I had wonderful parents and siblings, for years I struggled to shake the battle with low self-esteem. I married young. Seven years and two children later, my husband filed for divorce. My self-image plummeted to its lowest. Then, I met my best friend, Joan, and my life changed forever. She had a passion for God and a zest for life. Because of our relationship, I found strength and self-worth. When she died of colorectal cancer after fifteen years of friendship, my grief took on a different emotion almost daily. I flip-flopped from denial to anger, then to pain and fear, wondering if life would ever be normal again. I wanted my grieving to end, yet somehow I knew I had to address each emotion until I was ready to release it and move to the next. Months of trying to sort everything out led me to believe that grief had not been my enemy after all, but rather the fear—fear I’d never survive my pain—fear I’d never be able to move on or release my anger, and fear I’d someday forget my friend. The emotions we feel after loss don’t last a lifetime—they are a process—the beginning of healing. It was through God that I overcame my loss. God is love, and it is in His love, in His Grace, that we find peace. One night during the year following her death, I woke at midnight and began writing. I couldn’t stop. Twenty-four hours later I completed a draft of our story. It wouldn’t have made sense to anyone but me, but from within my disordered scribbling a possible ministry emerged—a ministry that could help others. I knew then it was God who nudged me out of my sleep. Yet, surely he didn’t expect me to write the story. Naturally, I asked my friend Candace, an accomplished author, to take my ramblings and write a book. This book is needed, I told her. I knew she would understand. She said the story had to come from me and encouraged me to write it. The thought of such an undertaking caused old feelings of insecurity to re-surface. Writing doesn’t come easily to me. I struggled with every word. How could I ever turn it into a book? But the more I discerned Candace’s words and the nudge in the middle of the night, I came to the conclusion God did, indeed, expect me to write the book. The story came full circle when Candace agreed to be my editor. She spent many hours teaching me the craft of writing, and I’m grateful for her encouragement. As women, we share a kindred spirit as only “girlfriends” can. This special bond, which Joan and I felt, the pain of losing her, and eventually finding God’s peace, became the words of Grace to Carry. God called me to tell the story of how Joan found strength in her surrender to Him, and of how she helped turn an insecure best friend into a confident and content woman. Grace to Carry addresses challenges so many of us face: low self-esteem, divorce, “finding our own way,” loss. This book shows how God brought me through my pain with newfound hope. “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson All rights reserved. @2009 Marcia Putnam Text Box: Grace to Carry                          A TRUE STORY OF FRIENDSHIP, HOPE, AND ABOVE ALL, FAITH.

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http://www.candacecarrabus.com

Website of Candace Carrabus, a great writer, my editor, and good friend.