I am so thrilled to share with you that I am now an Off The Shelf Blogger! What is that, you ask. It’s a program from Beacon Hill Press for bloggers to review their wonderful stories. What makes this such an amazing opportunity for me is because they are the leading provider of Christian books, Bible studies, and Bible commentaries. Being a woman of faith is a big part of my life and I have been very fortunate to have experienced the immense love that our lord has for us many times in my life. And now you know why it’s such a privilege for me to be in this wonderful program.
The first book I read for this program is A Story Unfinished: 99 Days With Eliot. Usually we read stories of pregnancy and childbearing through the eyes of a mother. In this wonderful story however, we are taken on a very private and heartfelt journey through the eyes of a father. This is truly a memoir, like few others I’ve read. Matt Mooney took me on a roller coaster of emotions where I was not only given an appreciation of life, God, and love, I was also left with a sense of direction.
This is the story of Matt and Ginny Mooney’s journey through their pregnancy with Eliot. They find out in an ultrasound that Eliot had a genetic disease that made his birth unlikely. If their baby made it past birth, he would only live for a few hours or maybe a few days. I could somewhat relate to the pain and worry that they must have felt, because I remember when during an ultrasound I was told that one of the twins I was expecting’s heart had stopped and that the second baby was probably not going to make it either. Yet Matt and Ginny were granted the wonderful chance of knowing their sweet little Eliot for 99 days after his birth. This book is about what happens after they learn of his condition, and what the words “not viable for life” meant to them.
What I loved about this book was the Mooney’s unshakable faith, and the way Matt has about talking about it without trying to convert you. I also liked how they celebrated each and every day they were given with Eliot instead of giving into defeat. Eliot not only left a mark in the life of his parents, but will leave a mark in the lives of all who read this book.
I highly recommend this book, it doesn’t matter if your religious or not, female, male, a parent or are childless. This story will move you, you’ll laugh, cry, and learn. What you learn depends on the individual but trust me, you will definitely learn something from this book.
You can purchase this wonderful book here:
If the story sounds familiar it’s because it’s a story that made national news. The Mooney’s were featured on Oprah, the TODAY show and many have learned about them through their YouTube video.
Let us all celebrate each and every day.
