Sometimes a project falls into your lap just when you need it to. This happened recently. Back in October 2020, I was struggling with the upcoming election and all of the political rhetoric, bickering on social media about which candidate to vote for, the politicization of the pandemic, and increasing racial tensions.
Then my friend, Kristi Bridges, referred me to an author looking for an editor. After talking to Premadonna Braddick, the author spearheading the book project, I signed on as the editor for her inspirational anthology of real-life stories from female co-authors. They range from preteens to women in their mid-to-late twenties. Each had a story to tell, and lessons I could learn. I read stories of overcoming a spectrum of issues such as: mental health, physical disability, poverty, physical abuse, and settling for mediocrity.
Each story was like a ladder for my soul to climb out of my slump from people, politics, and the pandemic. God was showing me a perspective that I wasn’t seeing but desperately needed. So this project was His gift to me as I worked with these young ladies to get their stories clear on the page.
I’m thrilled that this book is now published and available on Amazon! (Click on the image to purchase the book. The sales of the book go toward Premadonna’s non-profit, Soaring Eagle’s Youth and Family Services, Inc.)
Here’s an excerpt from the book:
“I’m honored God gave me grace to endure until the morning; my story didn’t end with death but life. Growing up, I didn’t foresee this day happening; yet through it all, I’m still standing and standing up for girls who can’t stand up for themselves. The reason why I experienced what I did was I needed to get this book into these young ladies’ hands, where they will read it and say, “My life matters!” The second reason is, I wanted to give ladies relatable stories from all walks of life, I’m able to have a broader reach to share my story, along with my co-author’s stories, all over the world. The title Cards of Life was my chronicle of a bad hand dealt to me.” (Excerpt taken from the Introduction section written by Premadonna.)
Here are some of the lessons I gleaned from reading these stories:
- Don’t count anyone out no matter how much they have to overcome. Premadonna’s drug-addicted mother was in jail when Premadonna was born. (Her grandmother was in the same jail). After Premadonna’s mother got released, she tried to raise her daughter, but the mother’s drug addiction prevented this. It wasn’t long until Premadonna was dropped off at a Jack-in-the-Box restaurant then grew up in the foster care system. She suffered severe learning disabilities and struggled with suicidal ideations. But God healed her of the disabilities and wounds; she was able to get two Master of Arts degrees in marriage/family therapy and Christian counseling.
- Embrace people’s uniqueness and their situations. Work hard at being sensitive to their needs and their differences. Whether someone is using a wheelchair or crutches from time to time as they manage a degenerative connective tissue disorder, or is a black preteen attending a predominately white, private school, it’s important to help people feel accepted and valued.
- Don’t assume someone is okay. A simple, “How are you?” Or “Can I help you?” Or just listening to understand can make a difference. So many people go through life feeling invisible even amongst friends and family. By reaching out with God’s love, you can help them know, You matter!
To learn more about the book, I’ll be conducting a Facebook Live on my Facebook author page, Sarah Soon, this Thursday at 7 pm CST. I’m interviewing two of the co-authors.
(If you’re in the Tulsa area, the book launch for Cards of Life will be June 4th:)
Check out Premadonna’s non-profit, Soaring Eagle’s Youth and Family Services, Inc, website: https://soaringeaglesyfs.com/.
And the Facebook page:
Featured Image by TréVoy Kelly from Pixabay