http://www.ncreview.com/ 1936-885 http://www.ncreview.com/biography/a-mosaic-heart-reshaping-the-shards-of-a-shattered-life In the natural order of things, parents outlive their children. In this memoir the natural order has been severely disrupted: the author loses both of her daughters to cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that affects the respiratory and digestive systems of the body by making the normally thin mucus in each of these systems become thick and sticky. After the second funeral Terry attended, she was then faced with attending a third when she lost her husband who was swallowed up by grief. It is a story of unimaginable pain and heartbreak, told with dry-eyed honesty and rawness. Terry’s first daughter, Heather, lived twelve years; her sister, Holly, four years younger, reached womanhood before succumbing to a lifetime of illness, hospital visits, medical procedures, and extreme life challenges. With grace and strength the author recounts each pinnacle of hope and valley of despair as she and her husband devoted their life to loving and caring for their daughters. There is somewhat of a happy ending in that the author ultimately learns to find joy--and love-- in life again. But more so, this book offers a hopeful message to anyone grieving the loss of loved ones. “The broken heart has more room for love. I found that out. Restoring the heart requires perseverance and spiritual work, but if I could do it, anyone can.” Terry eventually understands that although she is a bereaved mother, she is richly blessed because her daughters taught her to love wholly and unconditionally. ]]> Wed, 11 Jan 2012 03:19:10 -0800