Read Online Butterflies and Second Chances A Mom Memoir of Love and Loss Annette Hines 9781544512662 Books

Product details Paperback 208 pages Publisher Lioncrest Publishing (March 24, 2019) Language English ISBN-10 154451266X

Butterflies and Second Chances A Mom Memoir of Love and Loss Annette Hines 9781544512662 Books Reviews

• An honest, inspiring account of one mother’s journey to give her daughters a beautiful life. This story deals with the raw emotion in parenting a child with special needs and provides a glimpse into the daily struggles you encounter in this position. Although difficult to read at times, love and perseverance shine through as the dominating themes. This story speaks more directly to a specific community, but can provide anyone in any situation with a greater sense of empathy, perspective and compassion for their fellow humans. The author presents challenges that force you to question your very own values and provides an opportunity to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes.
  
  Luckily, I am fortunate enough to have known Elizabeth. She was a beautiful soul and certainly had her gifts that she presented to the world. We can all be thankful to Annie and all those involved who helped to let them shine.
  
  It also warmed my heart to read about the growth of Caroline and her ability to persevere as well!
  
  Love you all!
• This is the true story of a17+ year journey that that most of us cannot imagine. The author (the mom) recounts her experience of her daughter's beautiful, tragic, challenging and triumphant life, and how that life changed her as a mother and as a person. The truthfulness that runs throughout the book is the book's greatest element. It is as if you are sitting with Ms. Hines and she is telling you her story in person - there is no pretense, no apology and nothing is held back or sugar-coated. Ms. Hines does not ask for anyone to feel sorry for her, her daughter, her family or any of their experiences; rather, she sheds a light on the struggles, the challenges, the frustrations, the victories, the humor and the love of having a disabled child. I agree with the assertion in the book that unless you have a child with disabilities, you cannot truly understand and appreciate what the parents and family of a disabled child experience. However, if you read Butterflies and Second Chances, you will have a better understanding of and greater empathy toward persons with disabilities and their these families. You may even find yourself thanking a yellow butterfly for letting her mom share her story.
• Be warned, once you pick up this book, you won't be able to put it down until you get to the last page.
  
  As a client of Annette's, I had no idea of the demands she faced in her personal life until I read Butterflies. It's a testament to her strength of will, her determination, and her love that her beautiful daughter Elizabeth was able to live the life she did.
  
  This is an intimate look at the tough journey travelled by Annette and her family. There's no sugar coating, but this is not a story of heartbreak; it's a celebration of special lives - truly a love story that you shouldn't miss.
• Annette's story gives us insight into the overwhelming challenges families face when caring for a child with special needs. But anyone could have outlined these challenges from finding a diagnosis to finding care and ways to pay for it. What makes this story so compelling is how one mother faced every obstacle with courage and grit to overcome. The story is raw and perhaps even uncomfortable at times, but it's honest and true. At once heartbreaking and triumphant. If you have a special needs child, work with special needs families, or have ever loved anyone ... this book is a must-read.
• This is a thought-provoking as well as inspiring story. I was emotionally moved by the author’s ability to share her feelings with the reader, both the good feelings as well as the painful ones. Yes, it is a story about her relationship with her severely disabled daughter but also how she related to the world around them and also her relationship with her younger daughter. I think everyone will be moved by this family’s story. A reader doesn’t have to have gone through the experience of a disabled child or loss of a child in order to benefit from and learn from this book. There are passages in this book to help people relate to the disabled people one meets in life, how to interact with them. I highly recommend this book for everyone. I learned things from this book that I wish I had learned much earlier in my life. It would have made me a better person.
• I enjoyed the read itself very much. There are many great moments as Annette effectively, poignantly and bravely lets us into her world, consumed for 17 years with being the mom of a severely disabled child, living at home. I ached throughout for her pain and for her other ("typical") daughter's pain. I shared the joy of love, meaning, devotion and second chances she evokes. I couldn’t get the images out of my mind for a couple days. She is also very effective when she dons her lawyer hat, but this is not a planning book; it is a moving personal story. Thanks for writing it.
• I could not put this book down. It moved me greatly by the author's honesty and vulnerability. This memoir should be required reading for professionals dealing with medically fragile special needs children and their families. It is brutally honest and emotionally powerful. Also recommended for others traveling this journey in their own lives.
• This is a love story, pure and simple, of the power and resilience of a mother's love, of how one woman moved mountains to give her dear Elizabeth a full, joyful and meaningful life, and helped numerous other families along the way. A powerful memoir, especially for parents of special needs kids- everyone's journey is different, and this book shares one woman's experience, courage and hope.