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UpnorthBy Michele Howe.

When it happens to someone you love everything changes.

Several weeks ago, a very dear friend (one of those friends who can finish your thoughts or your sentences for you friends) found out she has cancer.

Breast cancer.

In all honesty, I didn’t know what to think. What to feel.

Then, in the mix of tears and sorrow and complete sadness… my thoughts started roaming from my friend’s cancer and her courageous response to this news… to wondering how I would deal with this diagnosis? How would I cope? Respond? Feel?

What changes would I make (practically and philosophically) in my life?

I had so many questions and precious few answers.

These were troublesome thoughts that just kept jumping around the periphery of my mind all day long and I was waking up a lot at night thinking (and praying) too.

Then yesterday morning I received an email from my friend announcing her new blog titled, Denise4health.

Love it!!!!!!

You can imagine I set aside what I was doing, clicked on her site and devoured every post she had written.

I laughed.
I cried.
I learned some things.
I found myself getting all my questions answered
.

This blog comforted me!

I hope you’ll take a few moments to read Denise4health for yourself.

I can assure you

You will laugh.
You will cry.
You will learn some things.
You will find some answers you’re looking for (or maybe you didn’t realize you had).

Lots of people write about their challenges in life. There are lots out there on women who have gone through breast cancer.

But everything changes when it happens to someone you love.

I’m not so interested in “other people’s stories” right now.

Right now, I am only concerned with my friend and her journey.

How grateful I am she is willing to share it with me through words.

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Michele Howe is a reviewer for Publishers Weekly, FaithfulReader.com, Retailers + Resources, Foreword Magazine, TeenReads.com, KidReads.com, among many others national and international publications. She has published over 3000 reviews/articles and has been featured on numerous radio shows across the country speaking on topics such as parenting and a diverse range of women's health issues. Her work has been published in MORE, FIRST for Women, Good Housekeeping, Christianity Today, Discipleship Journal, Midwest Living, Parentlife, Fullfill, Christian Single, Single Parent Family, Focus on the Family, PRISM, and Connections. She also does manuscript reviewing for several publishing houses including New Growth Press.

Michele is the author of twenty books for women. Her first book, "Going It Alone: Meeting the Challenges of Being a Single Mom" (Hendrickson Publishers), provided hope and practical helps for single moms new to parenting solo. She has also authored "Pilgrim Prayers for Single Mothers" (Pilgrim Press) and a third book of helps for single mothers titled, "Successful Single Moms" (Pilgrim Press.) In addition to these resources for single mothers, Michele wrote four separate titles combining real life stories with inspirational prayer retreats. These titles published by (Jossey-Bass) include: "Prayers for Homeschooling Moms," "Prayers to Nourish a Woman's Heart," "Prayers of Comfort and Strength" and "Prayers for New and Expecting Moms."

Her more recent books include a follow-up resource to "Going It Alone" titled, "Still Going It Alone: Mothering with Faith and Finesse Once the Children Have Grown" (Hendrickson Publishers) and "Burdens Do a Body Good: Meeting Life's Challenges with Strength and Soul" co-authored with orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Christopher A. Foetisch (Hendrickson Publishers).

One Size Fits All: Making Meaningful Choices, Stepping Into a Meaningful Life was released in early 2013 by Lighthouse of the Carolinas. Burden Lifters: Every Woman's Every Day Resource Kit for a Healthy, Happy Life was released by Bondfire Books in late 2013 and ACTA Publications released, "Faith, Friends, and Other Floatation Devices" which is a compilation of stories, quotes, and practical lifestyle recommendations for "staying afloat" during life's toughest times. Her newest book, Empty Nest, What's Next? Parenting Adult Children Without Losing Your Mind was published fall of 2015. In the fall of 2016, "Caring for Aging Parents: Lessons in Love, Loss, and Letting Go" was released by Hendrickson Publishers. Summer of 2017, her sequel to Empty Nest, What's Next? was published, Preparing, Adjusting, and Loving the Empty Nest. In 2018, There's a Reason They Call It Grandparenting and Navigating the Friendship Maze were released. In September 2018, Living Bravely: 52 Week Super Incredible Faith Devotional will also be published.

 

Read more of Michele's work at michelehowe.wordpress.com and contact Michele at: [email protected].

For more information, please visit michelehowe.wordpress.com

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