Giveaway - Light My Candle

Last week was Mother's Day. The day that we celebrate all the love and sacrifices our mothers have made for us through the years. Like most women who become moms themselves, it is only in the last years that I've truly come to realize how much my mother did for me.

But every Mother's Day, I can't help but remember my first Mother's Day. The painful day when I sat in church and choked back tears with the memories of my little baby who had came and left so quickly, but left behind a huge hole in my heart and empty arms.

Even though my house is now full of noise and laughter, it doesn't erase the memory of our first baby, the one who never took the first breath. In the last couple years, so I've known so many ladies who have walked through the valley of miscarriage and still-born death. My heart goes out to those who feel alone in their struggle to find joy after their dreams were dashed.

When a Home Joys reader asked if I would review her new book, Light My Candle, Prayers in the Darkness of Miscarriage, I jumped on it. Stephanie J. Leinbach shares the tears on the journey through two miscarriages.

I wish I had this book eight years ago when struggling through my own miscarriage. I found resources on miscarriage were rare, especially ones that pointed to the Lord as the healer of broken dreams. I'm so glad that Stephanie opened up her heart and peeled back the bandages to share the road of pain and healing in her life. Of course, every woman grieves differently, but my experience echoed Stephanie's in many ways. I think I was in tears by the second page. One of the pains of miscarriage is the loneliness. The loss is not felt by anyone but the mother, and maybe her husband. Knowing that another walked this road of heartache, is immensely encouraging.

Most of Light My Candle is written in a poetic free-verse style. I found the book an easy one to read. Though I love to read, I know some women find large chunks of time hard to find. This book was an easy one to pick up and read a short page or two. Stephanie shares chapters on the effects of miscarriage on a marriage, how to give support to a grieving friend, and how to move on after your loss.

I wish there were never women who shed lonely tears with empty arms on Mother's Day. But since there is, I plan to keep a copy of Light My Candle on hand to share. Even if you've never experienced a miscarriage, it would be a good book to read to understand better the emotional pain a friend faces.

To purchase Light My Candle, you can contact Stephanie at lightmycandle@abcmailbox.net You may also visit Stephanie's blog for more of her writings.

Stephanie has also generously offered to share a copy of Light My Candle with a  Home Joys reader. To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this post. Please give an email address so I can contact the winner. Giveaway will be open for one week.

Come back tomorrow and we'll share a short interview with Stephanie and maybe an excerpt from the book.
(Read interview here.)

I was given a complimentary review copy of Light My Candle, but all opinions in this review were my own. This book was a pleasure to review and I can recommend it from the heart.