September 2012

If I could describe THOSE WE LOVE MOST by Lee Woodruff in one phrase, it’s about the seasons of marriage. Anyone married a while knows that feelings ebb and flow over time. This happens in long relationships as well as shorter ones. Here, a family is brought together when a crisis hits that has them circling the wagons and grieving together before they spiral back into the larger world with a new view of their lives. Two of these couples will re-examine their marriages in light of what has happened --- and how they have changed.

The multi-layered story unfolds with pitch precision --- one small act of distraction will be the catalyst for all that comes later. It’s a book that would be perfect for book club discussions; there are so many ways that this discussion could go!

Many of you may know Lee as the wife of Bob Woodruff, the journalist who was injured during the War, and she wrote IN AN INSTANT: A Family's Journey of Love and Healing with him. Thus she knows how life unfolds in the moment after a tragedy hits. As the family joins together to deal with their loss, her description of the folks who show up with casseroles and lasagna is so well done.

“People always came out of the woodwork at a time like this for good and bad. There was some human need to insert yourself immediately, to take action, even if you know the person only tangentially. The proximity to tragedy and sorrow caused an immediate evaluation of your own relative good fortune. The people who really understand, though, would hang back until the right moment, knowing the real work began when all the cars had left the driveway." Good advice for all.