A Word From The Author
I am from a very small town in West Texas, Snyder, Texas. I was born and raised in Snyder. I attended Abilene Christian University and completed my degree in Early Childhood Education. I taught kindergarten and second grade for multiple years. Currently, my husband, Ted and I have three children who are seven, five and almost two. I lost both of my parents to different types of cancer in a span of five years by the time I was 27 years old. My dad passed away my Junior year of college and my mother passed away only two months before I had our first daughter.
Megan McCormick Cerda-
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finding joy in the journey
“Finding Joy in the Journey” is an inspiring memoir that will touch the hearts of readers of all ages. Megan McCormick Cerda’s candid storytelling and relatable experiences will draw readers in from the first page. The book is a reminder that, despite the trials and tribulations of life, we can choose joy and find beauty in the journey.
This inspirational story about mother love chronicles the journey of a mother, wife, and daughter who finds real happiness amidst grief, pain, loss, marriage, careers, friendships, and motherhood through faith. Megan’s life takes a tragic turn when she loses her parents to cancer in five years. Determined to keep her parents’ legacy alive, Megan embarks on a quest to make joy and laughter a constant choice in her daily life. With the support of her husband and their three children, Megan navigates through life’s ups and downs and shares her experiences, lessons learned, and even some family recipes with readers.
What is Joy?
Before you begin reading, there are a few questions that you should answer before heading forward: What is the meaning of joy for you? How can you find joy in your life? Do you like to spend time with your family or spend time alone? Or do you think you are one of those people who worry a lot about what is happening around you and the world? There is no doubt about the fact that human beings are living in unprecedented times of uncertainty. Nobody knows what will happen tomorrow or in the future; we continue to struggle and plan for the time that is yet to come.
Such stressors are causing chaos in the human world. Sometimes the stressors are obvious, and sometimes they are hidden, both taking their toll as you witness more people showcasing anxiety, depression, and aggression. It is still possible to take out time to enjoy the little things that matter to you. It is possible to find joy in the journey amidst the uncertainty and chaos.You must have been wondering, it is easier to say than done, but no matter what situation you are in, you will always figure out ways to find joy in your life.How can you achieve this milestone of finding joy amidst the challenges in your life?
‘Finding Joy in the Journey’ by Megan Cerda:
Do you often feel lost amidst the chaotic world? Well, everyone has experienced this often until they learned the art of finding joy in the journey of life. Megan has penned down her life experiences, the tragic loss of her parents to cancer in a span of five years as a young adult. Megan strives to make joy and laughter a constant choice without the fear of the future. If you are looking for the best books on grieving the loss of a parent Megan Cerda’s book Finding Joy in the Journey is a treat for you.
It takes a lot of courage to find happiness when life is constantly trying to break you down. Megan aims to make her readers laugh and cherish every story of travels, experiences, lessons learned, and many other family recipes.
Who is Megan Cerda?
Megan is a mother of three children who has suffered a lot in her life, which led her to transform into the person she was meant to be. She intended to share all her valuable experiences in this treasure book ‘Finding Joy in the Journey.’ Her gallbladder surgery made her realize how important her home is not because of its architecture or design but because of her family.
It is true what people say about the home that ‘home is not a place, it is a feeling.’ It fits perfectly for Megan Cerda. She has written one of the best books on grief and loss of a parent that will help the readers relate to it.
Megan has used song titles relevant to each season of life for each chapter in her ‘Finding Joy in the Journey book’ that helped her make it flow seamlessly. She has enjoyed writing chapters while listening to the songs, and that helped her recover from the loss of her parents.
Megan Cerda’s book ‘Finding Joy in the Journey’ is a book about hope – the kind of hope that brings you a ray of light amidst the darkness. If you are hit by the uncertainties of life and finding ways to find joy in your life – you are not alone. Life is all about hardships – a never-ending roller coaster ride because it’s meant to be this way. It is on you to make it a worthwhile experience by finding little things that will make you happy. Her life of faith book series will help you to heal and have faith in the God.
It’s important to have a friendship of a lifetime that can help you get through the difficult phases of life. In the end, you only have God and sincere people around you who will support you endlessly. As Megan Cerda says in her book, ‘The winding path has curves, roadblocks, and areas of straight sailing. The journey to finding joy again is worth it’.
Megan McCormick Cerda-
‘Finding Joy in the Journey’ - A Book About Hope:
‘Hope is our four-letter word that can help you hold the rope of hope firmly amidst the darkness in your life.’ Humans found hope the day Christ was born, and everything changed at that moment. Christ helped humans believe that the future is more beautiful than anything you could ever comprehend on this earth.
Christmas is the savior for humankind, who has changed the generations that are yet to come and the ones who have already passed. If you have been in the grieving phase, only then can you understand the pain of losing your loved ones. Hope helps you to live for that time when you will be reunited with your loved ones, and this book is the epitome of hope!
Life is a journey of hardships, and only hope can help you go through all the phases. As long as you are breathing, only hope helps you to survive the madness and chaotic life.
Megan shares her experience of wrapping Christmas presents each year. Her mother taught her the art of wrapping gifts with festive holiday paper and ribbons with bows. Megan loves to buy different holiday wrapping papers and coordinating bows and gift tags that are unique.
Whatever the things you go through in life, God will always help you to pass through the hardships. Megan prays and hopes that the readers find the strength to walk their own life, journey, and true peace and experience love in ways that they never knew were possible. Having hope doesn’t mean there won’t be any hard days, the storms will crush you, but you should be prepared. If you have the courage, you can face any challenge or storm that comes into your life. Let the struggles take you to a new destination that you never imagined of.
God is Your Savior:
You must have always heard that God is your savior; do you believe so? With the birth of Christ, everything changed because humans found hope. Let God walk beside you, talk to him daily and share everything you wish to share with your best friend because God really is your best friend!
It is not that God will always grant your wishes; sometimes, the answer will be no because God surely knows the best of the best. If you are following God, you should understand that God wants the best for you. He might stop you in your tracks. He will get you where you need to go, and you should trust your God. As Megan says in her book, ‘When we try to control the sails, we will fail. Let God steer your sail today and all your tomorrows. Let Him be your guide in your life. You will FLY, SOAR, and you will be a CONQUEROR of the seasons of this life in your own path of finding Joy in the Journey.
Embrace Your Life Journey:
Embracing trouble means you have the awareness that life will hit you with hard times. When you learn to embrace trouble, you know you won’t always get what you want, but you will deal with challenges the best way you can!
You should release the floodgate because a good cry of the pain can help you get back on your track. There will be many days when you will feel like you cannot get over your miserable state because you are holding back your emotions. A good cry of pain and acknowledgment is all you need to clear your mind and help yourself move on.
One should never ignore the pain because acknowledging the pain will help you get over it. Sharing your feelings in whatever way you find easy help you to feel good. It feels like the burden is lifted off your chest, and you are not alone in dealing with pain. When you learn to share your feelings with your close ones, you will know that you are not alone in suffering. Everyone has their own hell and their own struggles, which make life hard for them. Surround yourself with people who are there for you to support and guide you when needed. Reading books about friendship can help you build a friendship of a lifetime to support you through your thick and thin.
You should try to connect back to your life which doesn’t mean turning blind toward the problems. You must have heard people saying that you cannot fill someone’s glass if your own glass is empty; that’s how it works! Connecting back into your life means that you are not in chaos yourself. If your loved ones are suffering, what good are you to a bigger cause? You should make sure that the people who are in front of you are doing well because, without them, you won’t have any place to find your peace.
One of the most important things is to acknowledge that your home is your haven. Amidst all the chaos, you should never forget to take a moment to deep breathe. True change never comes overnight. If you want to be a catalyst for change, you should never neglect yourself. You should unlearn your toxic traits, social media, and friends who constantly remind you of darkness. Doing this will help you be prepared for whatever lands at your feet. Reading inspirational stories about mothers’ love can help you acknowledge the love around you.
Above everything, you should be honest with yourself because honesty will lead you to your goals. When you free yourself from the burden of fake smiles, you are not only opening the door to experience good and bad things happening around you.
‘Finding Joy in the Journey’ by Megan Cerda is the book you need to take yourself out of the grieving phase and enjoy what you still have. There is no denying the fact that grief and loss take you by surprise; one minute, you are sobbing, and the next day you are laughing through the tears. Recovering from gut-wrenching sorrows to finding happiness in the little things takes a lot of courage!
If you have been on the roller coaster of life, facing the miseries and uncertainties, and still have the courage and hope to find little things to please yourself, you are strong – strong enough to push back the barriers and keep that hope alive to live and enjoy whatever you still have. Appreciate things you still have before it becomes a memory!
To everyone who is still struggling and finding their way to get over their loss, sit back and read Megan’s life journey. It is one of the best books about friendship that is all set to fill you with hope and make you feel alive despite the sadness and grieving moments because as long as you are breathing, you still have a chance to make the most of it.
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