My 5 Favorite Books of the Year

4. Some Things You Keep: Letting Go. Holding On. Growing Up., by J.J. Landis

From GoodReads.com:

After her mom’s suicide, JJ Landis wanders through loneliness and pain. She knows grieving is necessary, but all she can do as a twelve-year-old is keep her sadness locked inside. She walks forward facing rejection, fear, addiction, and depression. Despite her circumstances, she collects pieces of goodness, trinkets of hope, and fragments of redemption along her path. With healing, she is eventually able to recognize these as gifts. Growth comes from letting go of the past and pain and stepping forward each day. And with growth comes the wisdom to know what to hold close and what to keep. We’ve all suffered; we’ve all rejoiced. Every one of us has been on a pilgrimage, and we are all still hiking.

My 2 Cents: This book is about much more than a mother’s untimely death. It is a call to never forget, to always forgive, and that all you have to do when life says you’re drowning is to let go and find grace, just beneath your feet. It’s been there all the time. Follow JJ’s blog here.