Chapters in a Hotel Revealing Grace
The Story Behind Revealing Grace
The Night We Spread 42 Chapters Across a Hotel Room Floor
Hi everyone.
Picture this: a hotel room in Salt Lake City, papers scattered everywhere, and two exhausted parents of young children finally getting their first child-free weekend in months.
That was Michael and me, twenty years ago, sitting cross-legged on the carpet with 42 handwritten chapters of what would become Revealing Grace spread out around us like puzzle
We'd hired a babysitter (a luxury!), and instead of sleeping in or having a romantic dinner, we were doing what every couple dreams of doing on their getaway weekend—organizing a cancer memoir. 😊
But here's what I remember most: the moment we both realized that some chapters were meant to be written but never printed.
They served their purpose in helping me process the experience, but they didn't serve the book's purpose of helping others.
Michael held up one particularly emotional chapter and said, "This one was for you to heal. That one," he pointed to another, "is for them to heal."
It was the first time I understood that writing can be both deeply personal medicine AND a gift to the community.
Some words are meant to stay private. Others are meant to be shared.
As we move toward the October relaunch of Revealing Grace, I'm experiencing that same discernment process all over again.
What has changed in
twenty years?
What wisdom has emerged? What parts of the story need updating, and what truths remain timeless?
Cancer treatment has evolved dramatically since 2005. But the experience of having your life interrupted, of doing everything you normally do PLUS managing a health crisis, of discovering who shows up for you and how the community carries you—those truths haven't changed at all.
The hotel room taught me that every story has layers. Some are meant for the writer's healing. Others are meant for the reader's hope.
I can't wait to share both with you this fall.
With gratitude for your continued journey alongside mine,
Amy
P.S. - Revealing Grace: A Story About a Cancer Adventure and a Community releases October 18th. I'll be sharing more behind-the-scenes stories as we get closer to launch day.
