I have had many blessings in my life, but it is rare to read a book and think of the author as one of those blessings. My Journey to Hope is the exception because it has reminded me how fortunate I am to know the author. I am fortunate because Don Goehner is a friend, because I have had the honor of working with Don at Westmont College, and because I had the opportunity to pray for Don as he went through a heart wrenching personal experience. I am fortunate because I knew his wife Bev before the Lord called her home.

My Journey to Hope is aptly named for many reasons. For one, this really is a journal about a journey. A collection of insights, stories, even emails that Don collected as he walked through a time in life that none of us would envy. Don lost Bev — his soulmate — in an unexpected and all too early way. Around this same time his daughter was stricken with cancer. Throughout it all, Don kept thinking, praying, hoping.

An outgoing and friendly person by nature, you can see how Don’s deep relationships with friends and family shaped this time in his life. Don wrote down key things they said. Some of it was comforting, some spiritual, and some simply tangible advice. How he responded to these bits of advice is the core of the book — reshaping his heart as he searched for a way to move forward.

The title is apt for another key reason. In the search for ways to move forward, Don found hope. He became healthy. He made the right decisions, guided and loved by those around him, trusting in God in ways he never expected he could. And God provided an amazing blessing: Caryl Taylor. Caryl and Don were married last year, giving new meaning to the journey.

I lost my father the year that Bev died. A few months later I lost my sister. The loss hurt, and reading Don’s book has reminded me of my own walk through grief. I wish I had the book then to read! And that’s why Don has written this book. Yes, it’s a personal journal turned into a book, but it is also a story of hope that will encourage others. Ultimately, I think that’s why Don wrote My Journey to Hope. I’m glad he did.