"Prayerful Warrior Mom: Embracing Faith through the Storms of Your Child's Congenital Heart Journey" by Tracy A. Ripley is a deeply moving and practical guide for mothers facing the heart-wrenching reality of a child's congenital heart defect. Tracy Ripley, drawing from her own profound experiences, interlaces a narrative that combines personal storytelling with spiritual guidance, aiming to provide solace and strength to mothers facing similar challenges. Ripley's journey through her child's diagnosis and treatment is filled with emotional highs and lows, and she shares these moments with raw honesty and vulnerability. Her story is one of unwavering faith, demonstrating how a strong spiritual foundation can provide the courage and resilience needed to face such overwhelming trials. She emphasizes the power of prayer, illustrating how it can serve as a source of comfort, guidance, and strength in the darkest of times. The book also delves into practical aspects, offering advice on navigating the medical landscape, building a supportive community, and caring for oneself while caring for a child with special needs. Ripley addresses the emotional and psychological toll on families, providing strategies for managing stress, maintaining hope, and fostering a positive outlook despite the uncertainties. Throughout "Prayerful Warrior Mom," Ripley weaves in biblical references and spiritual reflections, encouraging readers to lean on their faith as a source of empowerment. Her message is one of hope, resilience, and the transformative power of faith in the face of life's most challenging storms. This book is a beacon of light for any parent walking the difficult path of a child's congenital heart journey, offering both practical support and spiritual nourishment.
Tracy Ripley is a devoted wife, mother, and stepmother to four wonderful children. Her youngest child's diagnosis with congenital heart disease (CHD) in 2013 profoundly shaped her family's life and faith. Tracy attributes her unwavering faith to the trials they have faced, and her inspiring testimony has brought hope and awareness to many other families navigating the challenges of CHD.
With a robust 27-year career in accounting and finance, Tracy decided to follow her childhood dream of becoming a published author. This brave leap has allowed her to blend her professional discipline with her passion for storytelling. Her writing often reflects her deep faith and the resilience she has cultivated through her personal experiences.
Tracy’s debut book, Prayerful Warrior Mom, has been awarded the Gold Medal Award in the 2024 Readers' Favorite International Book Awards. She also achieved the First Place Winner (in three separate categories) in the 2024 BookFest Awards and was a Best Book Awards (BBA) Finalist in 2024. Her book made the Grand Prize short list and received honorable mention in the Spiritual category of the prestigious Eric Hoffer International Book Award. Tracy's work explores themes of faith, perseverance, and hope, resonating deeply with readers and providing comfort and inspiration to those on similar journeys.
Letting go of anger, resentment and animosity toward others will free your heart of hate that does not come from God. The enemy whispers his lies in our ears causing us to doubt and filling us with negative thoughts. Staying stuck in the paralyzing state of self-blame and guilt keeps us from living our purpose.
Learning to forgive and set that burden down was life changing and freed me to live my life as Christ intended.
Book Excerpt
Prayerful Warrior Mom
Although the doctors had all said it wasn’t anything I or anyone else did, I felt like God had used Bryce to teach me a lesson; to make me realize what was truly important in life. I felt it was my fault that my son had to face such difficult obstacles in his young life. Reading God’s Word and hearing that He would not inflict pain on someone to teach us His grace had given me peace. I was finally able to understand that God doesn’t cause bad things to happen; He uses the circumstances to bring forth blessings, new beginnings and lessons to keep us humble. In my pastor’s words, “We are never the same people after experiencing the thorns and we have a choice of becoming more faithful and finding the blessings or becoming bitter or more fearful.”
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