Preface

It’s been dozens of years since I first planned to write a book on raising children and more than a dozen more years before I actually shared these chapters with anyone. Even the title was decided almost twenty-five years ago! It's not because I think of myself as an expert that I felt led or called to write a book like this. For the most part, it was simply started because I had been encouraged to “write a book” by so many people—most of whom were complete strangers who had observed my children and came up to ask me questions. Many of my friends who knew my children also told me I just "had" to write a book. Even my former husband told me how I needed to get everything into a book on several occasions. Years later, a few of my grown children, now adults, who were having their own children said, "Mom, you've got to write a book."

As God says, waiting benefits us in so many ways—it gives us strength, and oftentimes by waiting for His appointed time, He will also bless you with coauthors as He did soon after I shared this first chapter with my amazing Ministry Team.

As soon as we all got excited about what the Lord was about to do, I just knew I needed to invite two ministers. These two ministers I've asked to coauthor this book are also close friends and immediately came to my mind when the Lord reminded me of how often I would be in awe when they'd share how they would navigate their own mothering in the midst of all that was thrown at them. No doubt, it was due to them going to the same Source—the Source I always relied on and went to when I needed help with mothering. I now go to the same Source each time I find myself navigating my role as a grandmother.

~ Erin Thiele