Falling Forward

Reveals how people from the Wright brothers to Mary Kay Ash, Arnold Palmer, and Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore developed the ability to take risks, learn from their mistakes, and profit from their failures.

At an age when most girls are curating picture-perfect Pinterest wedding boards, twenty-six-year-old Jess Klein is sobbing over a stack of divorce papers. Everyone told her marrying Chris was a monumental mistake, but stubbornness and blind adoration kept her from heeding their advice. Not long after saying "I do," Jess is living in her "forever home" all alone, lamenting what could have been. Attempting to piece her shattered fairytale back together while discovering what being on her own truly means, Jess inadvertently seeks solace in a roundup of losers. From the Guy Who Refuses to Eat, to Mr. Neurotic Neat Freak, to the One Who Refused to Grow Up, her luck with love seems to have run dry. In a desperate attempt to fix herself from the inside out, Jess seeks out advice from the lovable Dr. Green, a seventy-year-old shrink who feels like the only one to truly understand her plight. As Jess continues to fall forward, confident in nearly every aspect of life except for matters of the heart, she embarks upon a journey of self-discovery she never imagined she needed, begging the question: Can she have it all...just not all at once?FALLING FORWARD explores self-identity, the power of female relationships, and the painful realization that sometimes you need to lose the life you had in order to create the one that's waiting for you.

For every mother who has thought, "I just blew it with my kids," for every wife who thinks she just can't stand to pretend anymore, for every friend who thinks she's reached the end of her patience, for every headline you read about someone who has compromised?there's a story that started from birth and led to the chapter she is currently surviving. Sandi Patty knows more than a little about such stories. At the height of a spectacular singing career, Sandi found herself in the middle of an affair, a divorce, and a fall from grace that couldn't possibly have been more public. How could she have mde those choices? What are the warning signs that disaster is ahead? What are the steps needed to rebuff temptation? How do you recover from such a visible shame? Is there life after failure? Sandi describes the red flags that indicate a crisis on the horizon as well as the path to recovery. She shares how she managed to move on, with God's grace and the help of friends and family . . . and she shows how you can see crossroads looming in your own life and find safe places to fall. From relearning joy to finding the right support group, Sandi helps us all to begin anew, embracing the power of God's redemptive grace.

Wes, a romantic and accomplished gay man in his forties, thinks that he has his life in order. He has been in a relationship for years, and he is confident that he knows what the future holds. But when his partner dies suddenly, Wes finds himself falling forward into a future filled with grief, uncertainty, and untapped potential. Now Wes must fight to regain his equilibrium and build a new life in a new citywhile somehow holding on to the stability of his lost past. A robust yet disparate group of friends, lovers, and acquaintances become his guides on a new series of international escapades in which Wes finds himself uncompromisingly involved. Falling Forward is an anthem for the positive acceptance of change in an uncertain world. Wes is now forced to acknowledge that his life is built upon little twists of fate and choices. Ultimately, Wes must decide if he is one of those brave adventurers willing to achieve the highs of finding love, even at the cost of possibly losing it. Falling Forward is for anyone who enjoys a well thought out story, and likes to read about characters that are a delight to spend time with. Pacific Book Review

How far will she follow her dreams? Ohio farm country, 1897. Louisa, the spirited eldest daughter of Herzig and Clara Steinbacher, has her whole life ahead of her. She is seventeen, and dreams of the "outside world" beyond her doorstep. But when Clara dies in childbirth, Louisa is suddenly thrust into adulthood-with the burden of her mother's responsibilities...and the care of her younger siblings. The only world she has ever known closes around her. Then Herzig, an elder in their strict Mennonite community, hires young, handsome Thomas to help on the farm. Thomas is hardworking, honest...and not of the Faith. But Louisa can't hide her growing feelings for him. Her choices set in motion a transformation she never expected. But at what cost?

How do you start a whole new life from the ruins of all you've known for so long? How do you handle the shame of divorce? What crutches work to pull you through your grief? How do you reenter the dating scene? Will you ever feel normal again? These are just a few of the questions people ask when a marriage collapses. Many divorce books cover topics like how to secure the best attorney, keep your financial assets, and have great sex again. Those are all helpful subjects. But FALLING FORWARD is a different kind of book. It explores the emotional journey of one man's divorce, from his wife's affair to his eventual healing, and it declares a resounding truth: you will survive.