So today(actually it was a couple of weeks ago, but now I'm finishing my post) I finished my second book of the year: Heaven is Here by Stephanie Nielson. I had heard that is was good, and I was excited to read it, but I underestimated the effect it would have on me. The book has three parts: life before her accident, the initial recovery, and then her transition back into 'real life'. It is a pretty incredible journey.
I read the first part really fast, then I knew what was coming in the second part so I took a break for the weekend and read The Sunflower by Richard Paul Evans. It's one of my favorite books and a quick read. Then I was ready to take on the rest of this book. The way her life is turned completely upside down is heart wrenching. Her experiences and journey are incredible. In the book she is very honest, and many times she longs for how things were before the accident, but that wasn't her life anymore. This book really resonated with me, I am so glad that I read it.
Here's a couple wonderful quotes from the book:
“I know, now, without a doubt that the true source of happiness, self-worth, and authentic beauty doesn't come from the outside. Women are constantly being persuaded to want something unachievable, to look younger or thinner and above all to fit in because being different is too painful and embarassing. I have accepted myself in a world that does not accept me, because I have learned - and more than any of the lessons of my accident, this is the one I wish I could teach everybody - that our hearts matter most. Your heart matters most, so be gentler and more patient with yourself, and their hearts matter most, too, so be kinder and more compassionate to others. It's a beautiful heart, not a perfect body, that leads to a beautiful life.”
“Happiness was my choice, and though it is hard-won, I am the only person who can stand in the way of it.”
I have been following her blog a little closer now that I have read her book. It is so fun to see her living life and having experiences that she would never had if not for the accident.
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