I always love it when I hear about another LCMS pastor’s wife publishing a book! Today I get to tell you about Christena Estby and her brand new book, Greater Than Grief: Two Brothers Against Duchenne.
Christena Estby is a mother of four, who blogs at livingwithhopeandpurpose.wordpress.com. Two of her sons have Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a muscle-wasting disease with no cure and few treatments.
Here is the Amazon description:
Greater Than Grief: Two Brothers Against Duchenne chronicles one family’s journey through pregnancy loss, the stress of a NICU stay and the resulting permanent hearing loss, foster care/adoption, a rare disease diagnosis, as well as parenting, homeschooling, and a continued faith in God’s promises.
How do parents move forward with hope and purpose when children they love receive a terminal diagnosis? How does a family balance the hard work of learning and advocating and fundraising and educating while at the same time continuing to live and love and adventure together? Where do they find the strength to sometimes just get through the day when grief and sadness weigh so heavily on their heart and spirit?
The Estby family made a purposeful decision to not focus on grief. There have been hardships, tears, and frustration as well as so many wonderful experiences and countless joys. They are immeasurably blessed by the group of people surrounding them, sharing incredible love, compassion, and kindness with their family. God’s plan is being revealed to them in bits and pieces, certainly not always in their time, but His. Through their seasons of struggle, they cling to their faith, seeking guidance and peace; choosing daily to live fully and in the best way they can.
Life is not about living with anticipation of grief. It’s about living together in grace and joy. It’s about loving the people around you through each of the moments given here on earth. It’s about finding hope when it feels like there may be none. May Greater Than Grief offer you some of that hope.
Wow! So much love to the Estby family! (And, if you’re curious, the book has 142 pages.)