How Kara Tippets managed to write beautiful accounts of her life as she was fighting the big C is nothing short of amazing and inspiring. Kara, author of The Hardest Peace, is posthumously honored in the book “And it was beautiful: Celebrating Life in the Midst of the Long Good-bye”, a compilation of articles she wrote for her blog, Mundane Faithfulness.
Kara’s positive persona is evident in these articles even those in which she talked about the pain she was going through. She inspires women to be stronger and find the beauty in life even the toughest and roughest situations.
When a person passed away from cancer, most articles and obituaries say that the person “lost the battle”. What Kara showed, as evidenced by the snippets of the life she lived with her husband and children and friends while facing cancer, is not one of defeat. She peacefully left the mortal world triumphant. She has shown the world that she continues to live in the lives of the people she has touched.
The editors of this book should give themselves several pats on the back for doing a great work in dividing the articles into several acts, consistent of how her story unfolded in the course of battling cancer.
Kara didn’t stop living after discovering that she has cancer. She lived her life to the fullest until her last breath on earth. I can only send virtual hugs to her husband Jason, her pastor and bestfriend and who, in Kara’s accounts, stood as her fortress through it all. I cannot begin to imagine how her four children (Ella Grace, Harper Joy, Lake Edward, and Story Jane) accepted her passing but I am hopeful that they are doing well because Kara prepared them well. She was also honest to them. Despite her failing health, she found the strength and time to be with them, proof that there is nothing a mother won’t do for her children.
The Tippets family is loved by so many people. They have friends who cooked food, cleaned the house, and prayed with them. They were never without supporters who push them to be hopeful even in the most hopeless situations as one cancers news after another was revealed.
It is from reading Kara’s stories that I am empowered to be a better wife, mother, and friend. We face different battles everyday and though we might think that we are alone, Kara’s life was a testament that we are and will never be alone so long as we open the doors of our hearts to love and grace.
I am giving this book 10 out of 10 stars.
Anyone who is looking to be inspired must read this book. If you’re healthy, you’ll appreciate the life you have. If you are finding it hard to adjust in your new home, where chores seem to be endless, this book gives your heart the calm and serenity it needs. If you’re losing hope, this book rekindles the dying spark in your heart and restores your faith.
How could she write beautiful things and memories while suffering from something so painful?
Kara, you’re a gift to this world.
Thanks for stopping by even for a short while.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book from David C. Cook Publishing via the Litfuse Publicity Group for the purpose of this review. I was not required to write positive reviews. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”.
