Reader Reflections

★★★★★

It’s hard to review a book written by your own mom because I didn’t just read these words, I know the woman behind them.

I know the grief, pain, faith and love in these pages aren’t just things she decided to write about. She actually lived them.

Reading Inhale His Presence, Exhale the Weight made me really proud of my mom. I can’t imagine how hard it is to take some of the most painful and vulnerable parts of your life and put them out there for other people to read. Not because you want sympathy, but because maybe someone else going through something similar will read it and feel a little less alone.

One of the things I liked most about the book is that it doesn’t make faith sound easy. There’s grief, anger, fear, exhaustion and a lot of struggling in it. But there’s also this feeling throughout the whole book that even when you don’t feel strong, and even when you’re basically crawling your way through something, you’re still being held.

Some parts were honestly hard for me to read as her son because I know some of what was behind those words. Other parts made me understand my mom a little differently, and I wasn’t really expecting that when I started reading it.

Mom, I’m really proud of you. Not just because you wrote a book, which is pretty damn cool on its own, but because you were willing to be this open about things that hurt you. You somehow took those things and turned them into something that could help somebody else.

I love you. I’m proud to be your son and I really hope this book finds the people who need it.

You found your voice. I hope you never stop using it.

—James