“Sometimes, all a person needs is a little perspective.”

Life. That bittersweet journey we all embark upon after conception. Everyone’s life and mission is different, but everyone has smooth times and hard times, too. We won’t always see that, but it’s a truth.

Available in all formats including CD, paperback, Kindle, audiobook, and hardcover

From Old Testament times and throughout all of mankind’s recorded history, the bards and scribes have waxed poetic about challenging times.

Sometimes those really dark, tear-filled days are the culmination of weeks, months, even years of hard stuff and we’re brought to our knees in complete and total exhaustion – and surrender. There is no more energy to maintain walls and facades of courage and strength. There is just, well, soul-deep fatigue. Our spirits cry, “Help me” to God, our Creator, because our spirits know we are connected intimately with our Creator. And, that He always hears. He always cares. Our minds may be talked out of that knowledge and our hearts may be hardened by this world, but our spirits know.

And that’s when a person may walk into your heart or a friend may take your call, or a bookshop owner may point out a book they think might be of interest – and voila, you are presented with a different “perspective.”

THE NOTICER by Andy Andrews is one of the gifts I was recently given on a particularly difficult day. Easy to read, this 2009 Thomas Nelson book is one of several written by this bestselling author. It is meant to offer us a new perspective on our own lives. Not on life in general but on how we see ourselves and our struggles. After all, whose life do WE really have any control over, anyway? Try it on like a new fall jacket. Enjoy it like a new friendship. See where it leads you.

“My contention is that you are right where you are supposed to be. This may look like barren sand to you, but nothing could be further from the truth. I say to you as you lay your head down tonight, you are sleeping on fertile ground. Think, learn, pray, plan, dream. For soon . . . you will become.” Excerpt from The Noticer.

THE NOTICER is your chance to regroup, take a breath, and begin your life again. Right now. Today. No reservations needed. I cannot recommend this little book strongly enough for anyone, of any age. With all we’ve been through on this planet in the past 36 months, we can ALL use a restart button!

As Jones, the protagonist says, “The best is yet to come.”

Wishing you all the best, always! Learn more about the author at AndyAndrews.com

NQ

FIXING BOO BOO: A story of traumatic brain injury

#1 AMAZON BEST SELLER

Almost everyone will know someone with a brain injury. Many will find themselves interacting with that someone and find it takes a bit more patience and understanding to have that interaction be positive for everyone. Not all of us will be the caregivers of someone with a TBI, but for those who are, Pat Stanford’s book will be a breath of fresh air and feel like a hug.

Brain injuries can result from a variety of sources including severe illness such as sepsis and stroke, or via the aging process including any of the various dementias, or even the result of a negative reaction to medication or medical procedures. But a TBI – Traumatic Brain Injury – is usually the result of an impact from a fall or impact incident that may or may not result in an immediate concussion.

This #1 Amazon Best Seller and Readers Favorite Award-winning book is now available in a second edition and here is a brief recap.

Pat’s sister Barb was always determined to be “normal”; treated like everyone else. But being born with cerebral palsy meant that she needed very specialized care by family, her medical community and everyone around her. Despite those challenges, with humor and intelligence and a generous spirit, she carved out a life for herself. But, after a life-changing accident that left her with a TBI, her needs changed. And when her husband died, Barb needed help with even those daily things she and her husband had once managed on their own.

Pat and her husband urged Barb to sell her home and come live with them, thinking it was the perfect solution and that once everyone got settled in, life would be different, but manageable and fun in a new way. Afterall, Pat adored Barb and that wonky sense of humor! But, Pat and Gary had no idea what caring for someone with a TBI would mean.

Valerie Breen, former CEO of the Brain Injury Association of Florida writes, “Fixing Boo Boo is heartwarming, informative, and funny from a sister who chose to be a caregiver not knowing what she didn’t know about brain injury. It’s the story of 9,000 families every year in Florida who give up their lives to care for their loved one.”

I couldn’t agree more! In 2021 my husband became very ill with sepsis which left him with some serious brain injury issues. Would our life ever be “normal” I wondered night after night? We cried around here far more than we laughed. Pat’s book proved to be the life preserver I needed!

I highly recommend FIXING BOO BOO for any caregiver, but especially if you are caring for or interacting with someone with a brain injury! Bravo, Pat Stanford, and thank you for sharing your very powerful and poignant story!

Keep reading, reviewing, and writing, my friends!

Nancy Q.