Dear Reader,
First of all, thank you for choosing my book to read. Even though you may not have experienced the personal tragedy of a parent’s suicide, I believe you will still find this book to be relatable on mutiple fronts such as growing through insecurities, surviving challenges in marriage and raising children who don't grow up to be exactly as you imagined. It is a very human story that bumps up against some form of the eternal question, "Why does God allow bad things to happen?"
One of the things I worried about when I began writing this book was, “What will my siblings think?” After all, I am the sixth of seven kids and birth order does count. The lower down the ladder you are, the less likely your words count for much. Besides, no one else in my family had written a book before. Who was I to think I could do such a thing? And to write about our dad’s suicide. Wasn’t that a private matter?
Yet, the story, I believe, had to be told because silence only compounds our anguish while speaking up has a mysterious way of helping us to heal.
While writing the book, I spoke to my siblings about it. I needed their help in getting dates, events and names correct. During those conversations, I learned that I was not the only one who’d wrestled with mistrust, anger, shame and confusion as a result of our dad’s suicide.
We’d all been left to work through our own grief on our own. Mom was physically present, but emotionally absent and suicide was not a topic that anyone discussed. Though we’d each longed for a helping hand, a wise word of advice and trustworthy intimacy, none of us knew where to find what we needed. As a result, we’d all learned how to survive, but it took many of us a long time to know how to thrive.
Talking about the past with some of my brothers and sisters gave me insight into their struggles as well as my own. Sharing our common sorrow brought us closer together.
I really did not have to worry about what my siblings thought about me writing my book. Even though I am the sixth of seven, to them, my words counted!
You can visit her website at www.tereseluikens.com.
The sixth of seven children, Terese grew up in an unstable and chaotic household–invisible to her mom yet cherished by her father.
This heartfelt memoir documents the chain reaction of a tumultuous family history. From her stormy childhood to the far-reaching effects of her father’s suicide, Terese shares her inspiring journey to escape the shame of her past, find healing and live, learn to trust, and discover faith in a real and personal God.
A Heart’s Journey to Forgiveness is available at Amazon.
