Each month, you’ll hear from one of us what we’re reading and a little bit about the book. Enjoy!
I’m reading Anchored: Finding Hope in the Unexpected by Kayla Aimee.
I’ll just be honest; I did not expect to love this book. It is a book that centers around motherhood and I am not a mother. But what I discovered in the first few pages is that it is not a book about motherhood. It is a book about hope, community, love, and faith in the midst of pain and tragedy, which we can all relate to—mothers and non-mothers alike. Kayla Aimee writes with an incredible blend of humor, art, and vulnerability. I have laughed out loud and cried actual tears while reading this book—sometimes while reading one page. I haven’t even finished it yet but I already highly recommend it.
But enough of my opinions. Here’s the official description of the book:
You count a pregnancy by weeks and Kayla Aimee had only ticked off 24 of the 40 when she unexpectedly went into labor. She thought her church upbringing had prepared her for every circumstance but when tragedy struck and threatened to take the life of her newborn daughter, it felt as though once solid ground had turned to glass beneath her feet, destined to shatter everything she held sacred.
Both poignant and humorous, Anchored recounts Kayla’s gripping story of learning to navigate her newfound motherhood in the most unexpected of ways, from holidays in the hospital and middle-of-the-night phone calls to the joy of coming home. With vulnerability and plenty of wit, Kayla lays bare her struggle to redefine her faith, her marriage, and herself within the context of a tragedy she never saw coming. For anyone who has felt their faith in God falter, Anchored extends a gentle invitation to join her as she uncovers a hope that holds.
Favorite quotes (so far):
“I did not understand any of it but I still believed in grace and decided that if God was sovereign then He could hold my hurt. I could fake praise, after all I knew the verses, or I could lay out my heart at its most vulnerable and rest in the knowledge that I was loved regardless of my reaction. Maybe some people call that irreverent. Or maybe we all need to know that are broken hearts are acceptable in any form.”
“There in the most wrenching moment of grief and fear arose the deepest assurance that if all else shattered, He would remain.”
I also enjoyed an entire section about Kayla needing glasses in the second grade and her parents not believing her because they thought she just wanted to be like Karen Brewer from the Baby-Sitter’s Club books. I loved it because I could relate completely. I thought I was pretty much the coolest when, in second grade, I had both glasses and braces. Bless my heart.
I did not expect to love Anchored. But I did. I recommend it to anyone who is trying to figure out how to navigate this world—with all its tragedies and hurt—with hope, humor, and assurance that God is faithful.
Elizabeth Hyndman is a Content and Production Editor for Lifeway Women short term studies. Read more from Elizabeth at edhyndman.com or on Twitter @edhyndman.
