Where I End by Katherine Elizabeth Clark

A story of tragedy, truth, and rebellious hope.

It was an ordinary Friday, wait that's not quite true. It was the last Friday of the school year, so it was the last day Katherine was going to go read in her son's classroom. She went and read, ate lunch and then decided to play tag with the kids. At the precise moment she ran under the jungle gym, the little boy on top decided to jump off of them. He landed on her neck and broke it, paralyzing her from the neck down. He ended up with a fractured elbow.

This is the story of Katherine's journey from that day on. I'm not even sure if story does it justice. Katherine doesn't dwell a lot on the injury, but she does dwell a lot on God and His place in her story and in stories in general. Through a miracle of God, Katherine was able to walk again. If I understood it right, 40 days after the accident, she was discharged home though she continued rehab. She learned to drive again, but she has been left with many, many things she can no longer do. She equates wearing gloves to how well her hands function, not only wearing gloves, but having no feeling except for burning pins and needles sensation. So activities of daily living are a challenge. She falls a lot. She didn't get to chase her children around the yard or go on hikes with them over rocky ground. She grieves that loss and yet she is grateful to be able to do as much as she can and she longs for the day when her health will be restored perfectly.

This book is her journey and it's inspiring. Like I said, there isn't that much said about the physical side of her accident, but there is a lot said about the spiritual side of her journey. Each chapter starts with a quote from a book and those quotes can be challenging in and of themselves. And then, Katherine has some really good things to say as well. Listen to this one I just randomly found this morning:
"There are moments in life when we must all come to terms with our smallness and fragility. Moments of truth when our hearts are recalibrated. Trifling anxieties and fears  we've been collecting and hoarding lose their color. Folly is laid bare. The shallows of our heart make way for the deep. Our need for mercy and for someone to come and rescue us is brought into the light. In these moment, we are not, as some might presume, ashamed. Quite the opposite. Shedding the falsehood of autonomy and self-sufficiency, we can receive the love of Jesus and of others."

This is a good book, a warrior's book, a book about not giving up. While, yes, Katherine can walk again, it would be tempting to want to give up because of the loss she has experienced.  And yet she chooses to move forward in gratitude for what she can do.

I received this book from Moody Publishers and was not required to write a positive review.