I received a text a few weeks ago from a dear friend inviting William and I out to dinner with her and her husband. I was excited at the prospect. Heather is one of those people who I wish I saw more regularly – that I wasn’t so consumed by the busyness and chaos of day to day life. Of course this is a feeble excuse, and a pronounced reminder to be more intentional. We met for dinner and drinks a few days later. As usual, it was great to see Heather and Brian. We always seem to be able to pick up right where we left off without skipping a beat. We got each other back up to speed on our lives, our kids, vacations, home renovations and the like. It was then that Heather unveiled her latest endeavor. She handed me a gift bag with a big smile and a sparkle in her eye. I pulled out a book – a children’s book – “Everything is OK. Love, God … written by Heather Momper Leonard”

“WHHHAAAAAAT???” My eyes immediately welled up with tears. She did it!!!! We both have talked for years about writing children’s books – and now here hers was! No longer just an idea – a tangible, real life book that I was holding in my hands! Heather went on to explain the story of the book and then insisted that I open the front cover. So I did.

“For my children, anyone searching, and all those who have lost someone dear to them.

Dedicated to Nora Rose Yusko”

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 OH. MY. GOSH. Could not even believe this sweet, kind tribute to sweet Norns. I paged through the beautifully illustrated book through a haze of tears. It was perfect. I hugged her and cried some more. Wow.

This year hasn’t been an easy one. Life has been brutally hard for various reasons. There are days where I struggle to sense God’s presence in my life. I get distracted with trying to figure everything out and trying to put all the pieces together on my own. Days where I feel defeated, beat down and hopeless. The title of this book could not be a clearer message: “Everything Is OK! Love, God” – – stop trying to figure everything out on my own. Trust Him!!! Look for Him!!! He’s HERE!!! He wants to and is going to be here with us through it all.

Thank you, thank you , thank you from the depths of my heart for this beautifully written and illustrated book, Heather. I am so excited that you fulfilled your dream of writing a book, and so touched that you were inspired by Nora and all of the ways that God made Himself KNOWN to us through her. You are an amazing friend.

To everyone reading this, I hope that you will be inspired to get your own copy of this sweet, sweet book. It is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Love-Heather-Momper-Leonard/dp/148972088X

Be blessed!

Aleisa