I’ve read many books in my life but nothing quite like “The Journey to Joy.” Often a book is written from the perspective of one person but this one is written by five generations of women. The introduction, “You Are Not Alone,” is striking and powerful. These women tell their stories of faith, love, success, relationships and hardships in a raw and emotional way. Each story took me through their lives as they recounted an experience shaping them into who they are today. Each chapter carries a theme and it resonates throughout each story. There are reflection questions at the end of each chapter allowing for acknowledgement not only on the story read but the life of the reader. After each chapter, I reflected on my life through all my experiences, thinking about what each experience taught me about who I am and how far I’ve come.
Taylor Fitzgerald’s story, “Doubt,” hit home in more ways than one. Dealing with doubt is universal. Whether it’s in your career or relationships, it creeps in, often holding you back from the experience. Moving from Memphis to Iowa, Fitzgerald left where she grew up and the people she knew. She wrestled with the idea of what her life would be like in a new setting. Dealing with hate and racism in her new surroundings, Fitzgerald started questioning her happiness, self-image and confidence to the point where she wanted to go back home. In life, it’s difficult dealing with change and more difficult thinking of how to deal with it. Fitzgerald mentions understanding her experience as “a season in my life mainly meant to help me grow” and it surely speaks truth. Doubting whether she could be happy she looked to faith for guidance and understanding. In her parents’ decision to move and her decision to learn and understand her situation, she walked in their faith as well as her own.
I look back at times where I doubted myself, and, at times, I still do, but after reading her story I can build the confidence to see my worth. Moments of doubt allow for growth and understanding of changing circumstances. It’s not about standing still in fear or hoping to go back to how things were. It’s a test to learn a valuable lesson about how to move forward with confidence and the faith to see it through. Many people who are lost in life struggle with finding a way to move forward and often people want to move past the experience or wish it never happened. There is value in our experiences whether good or bad and through reflection and acknowledgement of where you are in life, you can learn the lesson needed to move forward.
“The Journey to Joy” and the accompanying “The Journal to Joy” are available starting Nov. 3 at speakingjoy.org.
