Mended: Thoughts on Fear, Love and Leaps of Faith

You may cry, you may laugh but you will surely relate. "Mended: Thoughts on Fear, Love and Leaps of Faith," by Anna White, is a collection of essays inspired by the Japanese art of beautiful repair. 

Kintsugi is based on the idea that broken things can be repaired, and once that process is complete they are even more beautiful than before. 

Follow the author, Anna White, as she takes us along on her inspiring journey, one that is beautifully broken, like us all. I don't know anyone who's not broken in some way. We can recognize the author's brokenness through our own. Feeling the pain of this earthly life, walking in flesh and bones, where our bodies limit us. This deep feeling, this angst tortuous need for something more was created by the Savior, written in our hearts - we are not at home. Home lies in the heights of heaven. This longing will never be satisfied until we meet our maker. Through transparency we see the words comes off the page as real and familiar, like a kindred spirit. And then - the work circles around again into a brand new limitless light. If this is truth - let it be brutally honest. The only unbroken soul was Jesus Christ. This is true. Yet he broke his to save all of this broken … beauty, his creation as he saw us and loved us, the ultimate love story. Does she write what we are all thinking? If our voices were one would they be hers? If we were all female, in which the only perspective I can draw from - I dare to say its true. I think we have all felt foreboding joy as the author so carefully discusses. If there ever was a name for it, it would be called "the enemy." The one who comes to steal in the night and whispers intrusive thoughts of despair and unholiness.

There is something truly poetic in the "staying" the author mentions. I want to find this place she describes as as a thin place where God hovers. I want us all to find it. Perhaps … it's within our hearts. White states, "I am a writer," then asks if she can truly state it. I answer, a resounding yes. She may say that as much as she may say she is also an artist. Clearly she is - though White needs no label as she is enough, exactly the way she was created. 

Readers: You want to be on this journey. You've gone through it yourself and may even recognize yourself reflected within the pages of this book, as each chapter flows seamlessly from one page to the next. The authors one intention this year: Continue. In a reference to Stephen King she writes his only job was to not break the chain (writing every day) and the only advice she offers readers is pick a small thing and carry it on. Let it change your life. 

The "monkey mind" she speaks of reminds me of our devided selves, trying to break away from our sinful unwanted nature to be what we are called to be. The "monkey mind" is a tangled layer in itself. Some many things compete for our attention. For instance, we can't simply go grocery shopping without interference. Even if we've made a list, there is aisle after aisle of confusion, with too many choices. We've got some many distractions in this earthly life, no wonder it's so heavy.

As the words washed over my mind I thought, "Have you taken a page from my diary? Have you been reading it all along?" I found comfort in this book. I found sisterhood and womanhood and invite you to also. "I was wrong," White writes, "He (God) was showing me the light so on the worst days I could remember that the sun was still out there and that somehow, eventually, I would feel its warmth again." 

This collection of essays focuses on the struggle of living with anxiety and depression, and how to also live with grace and faith in the midst of darkness. It is raw and honest, and does not provide any easy answer or gloss over the pain. It is a narrative of struggle, but also of prayer, of hope, and of rescue. View the author talking about the book in a short video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T22frgtigoI To download a kindle edition for $2.99 visit: http://www.amazon.com/Mended-Thoughts-Fear-Leaps-Faith-ebook/dp/B00IWDXYPK/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394902839&sr=1-5&keywords=mended To obtain your own copy for $10.70, (I will never fall out of love with the written word. I love going back and forth writing notes in the margins and highlighting areas I know I'll need again) visit: http://www.amazon.com/Mended-Thoughts-Life-Leaps-Faith/dp/1496150147/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394903444&sr=1-6&keywords=mended

About the author: Anna White is an author, artist, and recovering perfectionist. She has a M.A. in Psychology, and understands the struggles of fear, anxiety and faith through personal experience. She and her husband Ryan, live in Louisiana with their two children. She's emotionally attached to her art supplies and loves making old things new. Connect with Anna online at www.2dayichoose.com or on Twitter @annawhiteartist.

Other works include, "Soul Rest: Retreating to the Heart of Life," pre-release available April 20 for 99 cents; "Decoding Etsy SEO: How to Get Your Shop Seen by the People the People Who Want to Buy Your Products," also 99 cents, and "You are Irreplaceable. You are Loved. You Matter. Heart Affirmations for my Sisters in the Dark," which is completely free! Visit Anna White's page on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Anna-White/e/B007P7BEQK/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1394904941&sr=1-2-ent

"I've been broken. I know what it's like to feel shame at my weakness, to starve myself to be worthy, and to want to sleep forever. If I had to guess, I'd say you might be a bit broken too. But being broken is not the worst thing. We can be mended. Our cracks can become beautiful. We can be even better than new." - Anna White