I woke up one August morning in 2011 to a different day.

August 26, 2011—the day my daughter, Emily Joy, died and her brother, my son Jarett, survived—changed my life forever. A boat swerved to miss one Sea-Doo and crashed into another carrying my son and his sister.

Choose Joy: A Survivor’s Guide for Hope is my journey through hell and grief to peace, compassion, forgiveness, and ultimately, joy.

It is an invitation to believe that happiness is still an option.

Living your best life is still possible.

The rest of your life can be the best of your life.

There is more to life than what you may currently be settling for. I want to inspire you to become the person someone looks at and says: “Because of you, I didn’t give up.”

Choose Joy is a survival guide for anyone who has ever felt broken by life. It is a handbook for hope to help you find your way forward.

Learning to navigate life is easier with a guide, a map, and a strategy.

A guide gives you something to hold onto.

A map reminds you there are still places to travel.

A strategy gives you action steps forward.

Being human isn’t always easy. Life can create moments when surrender seems easier than continuing.

This book is for the champion in you who refuses to surrender.

Faith is a cornerstone for peace.

Believe that better is coming.

Trust that your breakthrough is near.

This can be your season for growth.

Now is your time to heal.

Christopher Rausch, coach and speaker, calls Choose Joy “a roadmap to personal transformation.”

Bestselling author Daphne McDonagh describes it as a journey from “tragedy to triumph.”

Through personal storytelling, hard-earned wisdom, and practical strategies, I share what I learned about grief, forgiveness, resilience, faith, healing, and consciously choosing joy after unimaginable loss.

Your story isn't over.

There is still life to live.

There is still hope.

There is still joy.

Choose Joy.