Never under estimate what a carefully selected card and verses of scripture can do for a grieving heart. The author's sister-in-law, who had lost her own husband one year before her brother's passing, sent a package with a card, reading material on grieving, and very specific scripture verses on the first anniversary of the author's husband's death. That package's verses of scripture became the mainstay of words, which the author began reading daily. The order of the verses began by stating that we are all appointed a time to die. They ended by pointing to the hope we have through Jesus Christ in the resurrection. They were timely, much needed reminders of God's unfailing love. These daily readings rekindled the author's faith and spirit. This book, written to share the author's unique journey from grief to healing through poetry, is meant to fulfill a similar mission. When her husband died on October 25, 1996, it was less than two months away from their 26th. Wedding anniversary. Annette Toles Young credits prayer, God's abiding love, family, friends, church family, and these poems for sustaining her through seven years of sadness and difficulty as a widow, before she began to really experience and hold on to healing. In 2004, after almost 34 years of teaching, she retired to Houston, TX, where she found the time and opportunity to complete this book of poetry. During her last 15 years of teaching, at the request of students, she agreed to sponsor three Christian-based organizations at the school where she taught. She felt then, as she does now about this book, that she was called to fulfill a purpose of God. Annette is the stepmother and mother of 7 young adults, grandmother of 14, and great grandmother of 6.
