by Jai Pausch
First published 2012
Jai Pausch opens her story as a wife and mother whose world shifts when her husband Randy faces pancreatic cancer. She transforms into a full-time caregiver, moving constantly between caring for three young children and supporting Randy through treatments far from their home. Randy had called her "such a giver that she often forgets to take care of herself" and told her she would need to "give herself permission to make herself a priority." After Randy's death, Jai confronts widowhood and single parenthood alone. She works to maintain stability for her family while managing her grief and household responsibilities without her partner. The woman who once lived for others must learn to value herself. She discovers how to create hope and happiness again, feeling "a spark of my own magic beginning to flicker" as she called it. Her journey moves from devastating loss toward healing and independence.
Genres: family-life, grief, non-fiction, biography-memoir
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, grief, healing
240 pages · Hardcover · Harmony
Content warnings: death, terminal-illness