Bring On Lemons

On the afternoon of December 23, 2011, Judi Merriam's eighteen-year-old  son , Jenson, took his life - an act that blindsided everyone who knew him - changing her life and those of her family forever. The  suicide  of a loved one is devastating for those left behind and brings deep despair and seemingly endless grief. Judi was forced to confront profound feelings of loss and guilt and a future so very different from what she thought it would be. In this honest and soul-searching memoir, Judi reflects with grace and courage on the experience of living life after an unfathomable loss.      About the Author: Judi Merriam loves her roles as wife, mother, singer, actor, director, speaker, and writer. When these vocations allow her free time, she can be found hiking, swimming, sewing, reading, or watching British murder mysteries. Her most favorite people on earth are her husband, Brian, and her two living children, Tyler and Kalina. Judi makes her home in the hi...

Thank you  to WOW! Women on Writing for the opportunity to participate in the book blog tour of Ashes in the Ocean by Sebastian Slovin! You may have caught yesterday's review of this same book - but today Crystal has a little different take on things. Review by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto:  First of all, I don't think you can read a memoir like this without thanking the author for their bravery. Human nature sometimes allows us to believe that some rocks are best left buried and some skeletons are best left in closets. Sometimes we just need to remember that it's the truth that sets us free and unearthing those rocks to look beneath them or letting those skeletons out so the closet has room for something new can be a very freeing opportunity. Like any labor of love - there will be labor pains. Ashes in the Ocean is filled with the pain of loss, but yet Sebastian doesn't allow himself to be consumed by the sorrow of his father's death. Sebastian honors his fa...

Thank you for Michelle for being today's guest reviewer and thank you to WOW! Women on Writing for the opportunity to participate in the book blog tour of Ashes in the Ocean by Sebastian Slovin! Review by Michelle DelPonte:  As a wife, and mother of two boys, who struggles with chronic depression, I knew I had to read this book. I work full time night shift, come home to get less than two hours of sleep, and must function for my sons. My youngest is 3 and neuro-typical, while my 5-year-old is gifted with an autistic brain. I can honestly say in my 38 years of life, I have gone through a few to many stages where I just wanted life to be over. Thankfully, I have always been blessed with a reason to go on. When my dear friend Crystal posted about Sebastian’s book, I was at one of those low points. I knew I needed to make a change or my kids would possibly grow up without me. It is funny in an ironic way. It is sad to see that we will do just about anything for our kids, but not f...

Thank you to WOW! Women on Writing for the opportunity to participate in the book blog tour for Sebastian Slovin's Ashes in the Ocean. Review by Nancy Cramer: Reading Ashes in the Ocean by Sebastian Slovin brings suicide into the forefront. Being a nature lover, an athlete and a Yoga teacher extraordinaire, helps Sebastian confront and delve into his father’s suicide. A recollection of a childhood that could’ve been different. A realization of how a person lives their life and how it can form another person’s life. An awakening that what you have lived, what you think you know and what you find out can change who you become. Reading Ashes in the Ocean is enlightening! Suicide is usually not a high priority topic. Suicide is embarrassing, depressing, hard to talk about and permanent. Realizing what the person has been going through before the act of suicide is important to understand. Sebastian spent a lot of time traveling and talking to his father’s family and f...

B ook Review & Giveaway: Leaving the Hall Light On by Madeline Tasky Sharples Review by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto I recently had the honor of reading a touching memoir written by a loving mother who lost her son to mental illness and suicide. Had I not come to know M adeline prior to reading Leaving the Hall Light On , I quite honestly might not have read the memoir at all. I prefer movies and books that are filled with love and laughter. The first few pages of Sharples memoir describe the way her son, Paul, ended his life. There is nothing about losing a child that makes me want to laugh…but knowing Sharples and her warm smile and great sense of humor caused me to read on. I just knew she would somehow endure the pain and heartache with a smile on her face. I am not very familiar with mental illness and my children are just babies, but Sharples described events in her life and the life of her son in such a way I could easily understand. Leaving the Hall Light On rea...

So - everything makes me cry...maybe it's hormones, maybe it's the weather, or maybe it's just that I realize how precious every moment is. That doesn't mean I don't lose my cool with the children, cut my husband off mid-sentence, or hit the drive through instead of making a healthy home cooked meal ... I'm human after all. Maybe you've heard my story about my father and I won't keep you stuck here reading the details...but the short version is he was already sick when I was born, then was diagnosed as terminal by the time I was in highschool, and he passed away right after teaching me to drive a car. He didn't care about things like new clothes, fancy haircuts, or becoming famous. The things he prayed for were simple: He wanted to see his little girl graduate, he wanted to walk me down the aisle, and he wanted to hold his grandchildren. Unfortunately, none of those things came true for him. His will to live was so great that despite the pain he ...

Finding Clarity - a fictional lesson in communication. The scotch burnt his throat in a good way. He balanced the sail plan with the tiller lashed so the sailboat would rest quietly for the night. Her name was Clarity, written in lovely script across the bow. She was only 12 feet. Some might call her a dingy, but Jeremiah was in lust with her. Others questioned his sanity because he couldn’t swim a stroke. She was just what he needed when he dragged himself out of the office on rare occasions. Tonight was his night to sleep on the boat, several miles off shore. He was alone. He was lonely. As the last drop of the malt whiskey trickled down his throat, Jeremiah was reminded of the small red droplets on the living room carpet so long ago. He closed his eyes to block out their past; after all, exactly a decade had passed. He poured another glass. He had promised his sponsor that he wouldn’t let this anniversary shake his sobriety, and then he promised himself that just one glass...