A birth announcement

Perhaps you have seen me lately and didn't want to say anything. I know that it is sometimes difficult to ask with just the right amount of excitement but not an air of judgment. Oftentimes I am unsure how to broach the subject as well, so I thought it best to simply announce it.

I will be giving birth soon.  But not to a baby.   I will be birthing a book. 

It has been a difficult process. Long. Hard. Yet also beautiful. I have spent many hours locked in my bedroom or the local coffee shop or the upstairs of my friend's garage. At times the experience itself has been nauseating. Many times, I wanted to give up. After two years of gestation, I feel much like a mother who is great with child, anticipating the arrival of a new creation. I wonder whether this progeny, formed from deep within my heart, will be loved and accepted. I wonder what it will look like, who it will impact, and what it will become. God told me to write it, but I wonder what he wants to do with it. 

Katie's Story is the story of who Katie was and who she became. It is the story of childhood cancer and some of the atrocities it brings. It is the story of suffering and bravery. Fear and courage. It is the story of Katie’s pursuit of God and his pursuit of her. 

The story unfolds from two perspectives. Mine and Katie’s. I share my perspective in vignettes. These short scenes, snippets of time and emotion, enable you to know this child in a way that goes beyond simply knowing about her. They share small parts of her life, her struggles, her personality and even her death. My perspective tells the true story of Katie.

Katie’s perspective is taken directly from her own writings and journals, including her quiet times, sermon notes, Bible studies and blog posts. They are her exact words, just as she wrote them, and in a handwriting all her own. Although Katie’s writings are not in exact chronological order, most of the journals in the first two parts of the book were written before she was diagnosed with cancer. The majority of the entries in the latter two parts were written throughout the course of her illness, right up to the week before her death. Katie’s perspective tells the story of her relationship with God and her desire to reflect his light through her life. Collectively, they are the book we wrote together, although not the story we dreamed of telling.  

Katie’s life. God’s light. 

This is Katie's Story.

And if all goes smoothly through the final process, Katie's Story will be available in late spring of this year. 

In conjunction with the book, my blog is transitioning to a new website: www.sarahjcobb.com.  All future posts - as well as previous ones - can be found there. I am excited about the options that will be available with this change, such as subscriptions to receive blog posts and updates, as well as search and category options. I also hope to devote more time to writing and connecting with women this year as I reduce my work hours to part-time and return to the role of a nurse practitioner.

So I guess I am kind of announcing a birth to triplets. Three exciting endeavors for me: a new job, a website, and a book. It's kind of a lot. It's definitely been a lot in recent months. It makes me feel so many emotions, not the least of which is sadness. I would rather have Katie sitting beside me on the couch than to birth any of these other experiences. But today I choose to embrace the pain of labor in order to realize the beauty it can bring. 

     See, I am doing a new thing!      Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?      I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. This is what the Lord says.  Isaiah 43:19