Linda is currently a Senior Vice President, Wealth Management Advisor with UBS Financial Services in San Diego and Sun Valley, Idaho, where she works with her surviving son Greg. Linda has repeatedly joined the ranks of Barron’s Top 100 Women Advisors in America. She makes her home in San Diego, where she lives with her husband, former California State Senator and retired judge Larry Stirling. She and Larry enjoy their special time with five grandsons and one granddaughter.
A Word from Linda
Having experienced the death of my oldest son, Jeff, at age nineteen, I know the fog that enshrouds the mind when grieving such a devastating loss. The ability to carry on a conversation, absorb well intentioned comments of friends and family, or focus on the future became mighty chores. There were times when getting off the couch signaled a major achievement. I felt incapable of accomplishing anything. And yet, after a time, I was inspired to write a book of hope which has somehow found its way into your life. Gathered here are stories from mothers who found the strength and courage to rise up from the depths of despair to discover purpose in their lives following the deaths of their children. The continuum of healing is unique to their circumstance, time being irrelevant on the pathway out of debilitating despair. For those of us who’ve lost a loved one, this is a lifetime journey.
Woven through each page of these heart-wrenching losses, you will find threads of hope for you, whether you are a mother, father, friend, or family member. Hope grows more apparent with each nuance of their unique stories, relating their path from the deepest anguish to an inspiration to live life anew. The chapters will show you how grief transitions us from a lifeless existence toward life-sustaining hope that otherwise would have been elusive. These honest and real stories will help carry you through life’s most devastating loss.
Let me say a prayer for you. Pray with me now for your aching heart to be open to the healing that’s possible after life’s most crushing losses.
Dear God,
Bless these grieving souls as they seek inspiration for their lives. Let the words written in this book glorify You and demonstrate Your desire for them to know Your love and purpose for their lives. Bring to each reader calm, quiet, and peaceful periods in Your presence as You faithfully did for each mother in these hope-filled stories. Heal these broken hearts wherever they are on their journey from being lost to living joyfully. Amen.
Caring for you,
Linda D. Stirling
