Life is tough, but HOPE will FOLLOW.
Tragic loss struck hard on November 10, 2013, for Julie and her family. Her sister Tammy was hit by a drunk driver. Julie felt shattered, devastated, and hopeless with the reality of the nightmare. Gripped with confusion and shock, she began to navigate the aftermath of such a loss through journaling.
After two years of an intense amount of grief recovery work, Julie created a blogging website as an outlet to share her path for finding joy, peace, and hope. God faithfully gave her a new perspective of telling real life stories that offer inspiration and encouragement. She provides the depth of understanding for going through various types of struggles and trials in life, from those that we think are insignificant to the deeper, more painful hardships.
Hope Follows is the product of the blogging work. It doesn't get any more transparent than how Julie shares her writings with a sprinkle of humor and practicality. You can call this a memoir or a self-help book, but the one thing you will get out of it is an outpouring of hope lying on the other side of life's hardest moments.
Dare to capture and reclaim your own hope.
Contents
Introduction iii
Let the Pruning Begin 1
Make a Memory 5
A Special Number 9
Mommas 14
Start Again 20
What Type of Flower am I? 25
Navigating the Waves 30
You Won't be the Same 35
Take Back Your Summer 41
Lonely Moments in the Kitchen 46
Healing Visit - Back Home in Indiana 50
Don't Judge a Dog by its Look 54
No More Should Haves 59
Conquering Fear on the NYC Escalators 64
A Distracted Mouse 69
Living My Childhood Dream 74
Finding Gratitude on the Uphill 79
Beyond Your Comfort Zone 84
A Party in Your Mouth 90
Carpe Omnia 95
How is the Bread? 100
Chronicles at the Laundromat 106
Hammocks and Trees 111
I Spy Some Pretty Cool Blessings 116
Oh, Christmas Tree 121
Did I Get Everything Done? 126
Don't Take Your Eyes Off the Mountain 130
I Tell You, You are Great 135
Acknowledgements 141
Epilogue 147
Notes 151
