A Season of Reading - Free Fall To Fly

For something to qualify as a good memoir for me, it needs to be vulnerable. I need to feel the person's pain and happiness and every emotion in between. I genuinely felt like I was on a roller coaster with the woman who wrote this book, and that made me feel like I was reading a wonderful story, because life is a lot of ups and downs, so it felt true.

This woman and her husband move their family to New York City, as they are feeling led to do by the Lord, and soon learn that not all adventure is easy. They face extreme loneliness, depression, frustration and exhaustion… and it lasts awhile. While there are moments of hope, and ultimately the story ends in grace, she really wrestles with trusting the Lord in the midst of free falling, and anxiety prevails time and time again.

Being no stranger to anxiety, this part resonated with me. Although, I have never had full blown attacks like she has, I do relate to the feeling that anxiety overcomes your thoughts and you are left with only the shell of a once exuberant and thriving person. It is interesting to read her describe her emotions and how she learns to place trust in the Lord in both a physical and emotional sense.

I also love what she touches on about sharing our stories. I think far too often people are ashamed of who they are and what they struggle with, when in reality if we are honest we feel weight come off our shoulders and we can more completely be ourselves. It is a catch 22 in some ways, because in order to be comfortable you have to be honest, but most people feel more comfortable when they have their "stuff" hidden. However, this is not true relationship as the Lord designed it in my opinion, and we need to dig deeper with friends. Keeping everything swept under the rug is not helping anyone: Friends, Family, Relationships and Marriages alike.

In other words, I love that she shares her raw, emotional, overwhelming and exhausting story. She is being real and honest and vulnerable, and the world needs more of that.

I can only hope to be more like her. I admire the nature of this book and hope you take the time to pick it up and invest time reading this woman's story, as I think many can relate to her struggles and tendencies.

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