Countdown! The Books That Have Changed My Life
“What happens when life gets interrupted by the unthinkable? How do you continue doing everything you’ve always done—raising children, managing a household, juggling student schedules, maintaining relationships—while simultaneously navigating a health crisis you never saw coming?”
Twenty years ago, I faced this exact challenge when cancer arrived uninvited into my busy life as a mother and educator. But instead of viewing my diagnosis as a tragedy to survive, I chose to see it as an adventure to navigate—a perspective that changed everything.
How?
There were a few stories that helped me
I stood in line at Barnes and Noble to meet President Jimmy Carter to get several copies of his book Our Endangered Values, published by Simon & Schuster.
I cried throughout A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, published by Riverhead.
I’d be lying if I didn’t mention The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, published by Atria/Beyond Words. Everyone in the yoga world was reading it at the time. I now read it wondering, “Hmmm, what was so unique and special at the time, is more common and everyday thinking today.”
And, I simply love The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom, published by Hyperion. Wow. I love this book. I will always love this book.
Revealing Grace is more than a cancer memoir. It's a roadmap for anyone whose life has taken an unexpected turn. Through honest storytelling and hard-won wisdom, I explore how we learn to hold both crisis and joy, fear and hope, vulnerability and strength—all at the same time.
This isn't a story about beating cancer; it's about discovering what gets revealed when life strips away everything non-essential and shows us who we really are, who truly loves us, and what we're actually capable of becoming.
What makes this 20-year anniversary edition special:
Updated perspective: Written by someone who is now two decades cancer-free, with the wisdom that only comes from time and distance.
Universal relevance: While cancer treatment has evolved dramatically since 2005, the human experience of resilience, community support, and personal transformation remains timeless.
Expanded insights: Includes reflections from my journey as a yoga instructor, Reiki practitioner, and wellness guide—paths that grew directly from my cancer experience.
Family perspective: Features chapters written from our children's viewpoint, offering unique insights into how families navigate crises together.
If you’re wondering if it might be too depressing …
Perfect for readers who:
Are facing their own health challenges or supporting someone who is.
Desire to understand how community becomes medicine during difficult times.
Need permission to see their challenges as adventures rather than tragedies.
Are interested in the intersection of medical treatment and holistic healing.
Seek stories of authentic resilience without toxic positivity.
Revealing Grace reminds us that healing happens not just in our bodies, but in our relationships, our perspectives, and our capacity to help others on their own unexpected journeys. Some interruptions, it turns out, can become invitations to a life more grace-filled than we ever imagined possible.
“This book isn’t just about surviving cancer—it’s about discovering that life can be interrupted without being destroyed.”
