In a post entitled "A Moment to Celebrate" I mentioned a book I had collaborated on was finally published and delivered. It was an awesome moment, one that I was fortunate enough to share with my colleagues, Renate, Kim & Deborah.
Renate was the main author of this book, an amazing, inspiring woman who shared her experiences and knowledge with others. Throughout her life she has worked with people, encouraging them, pushing them when they needed a push, to strive to be the best they could be ~ to reach their full potential, to be great rather than just average.
The book, Dying to Live Well, is about Renate's personal journey through crisis. Rather than giving up, she decided instead to move forward with life. She recognized that no matter what the crisis, there was always an opportunity somewhere in there, and that she had the power to choose what she did, how she felt, and how she was going to live.
It's the story about choice, about finding the opportunity in your crisis, about what you can learn if you choose to pay attention, how to transform the now into something better, how to create healthy self-esteem, and to recognize that sometimes we get so caught up in the details that we fail to see the bigger picture. That life doesn't begin with our first breath nor does it end with our last breath. We are so much more than that.
Sadly, Renate passed away on March 2nd. She touched literally hundreds of lives often inspiring people so much that they transformed their lives into the life they had always dreamed of. She was courageous, funny, smart, wise, encouraging, supportive, brilliant, strong, (stubborn too) in short, she was everything you ever wanted in a friend.
While I miss her, I know she's not too far away ~ I can see and hear her, and she's still pushing me, encouraging me to be the best I can be....and to make a difference in the lives of others.
My thoughts & prayers go to her hubby and her sons as they learn to live without her laughter, smile and love.
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