Happy Hour #133 : Kate Merrick

My guest for The Happy Hour #133 is Kate Merrick. Kate is a writer, speaker, pastor’s wife, mama of a teen and a toddler, surfer, part-time cowgirl, and self-proclaimed chicken whisperer. She has been married to Britt for 19 years, and they live in Carpinteria, California, where they founded the Reality family of churches. In 2013, she endured the death of her daughter, Daisy Love, after suffering through cancer treatment for three and a half years. Kate is making her way back toward laughter, and finding life to be filled with good things. In today's show, Kate and I chat about her new book: And Still She Laughs. I have read through most of the book already and was so impressed and surprised by the approach she took to write it. Instead of it being primarily the story of her grief, she details the stories of several women in the Bible who have suffered and persevered. We also talk about her decision to get off social media preceding her daughter's death, and what led her to that decision. We chat about the tension between perspective and comparison - and how comparison robs us of our joy in living the life God has planned for us. And finally (because what happy hour would be complete without it?), we discuss shark attacks and my paralyzing (and very rational) fear of being devoured by a shark. {You can listen to the show HERE. And of course, I would love if you would share with your friends. Just use the FB & Twitter links at the end of this post!} Links from the Show Kate's Book: And Still She Laughs Soul Surfer The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis + A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle What Kate is loving: Spring, making flower bouquets and her Magnolia Journal Music from Jason Poe Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram Sponsors: Noonday Collection Noonday Collection is a fair trade jewelry and accessories company that provides meaningful opportunities around the world. To create a marketplace for the Artisan Partners they work with, they invite women in the United States to launch their own businesses through the Ambassador Opportunity. For the month of March only, Noonday is offering you exclusively some of my personal favorite products when you join. Just click here to see exactly what those products are and how you can join the Ambassador Community today! PrepDish Prep Dish is a healthy subscription-based meal planning service. When you sign up, you'll receive an email every week with a grocery list and instructions for prepping your meals ahead of time. After a couple of hours on the weekend, you'll have all of your meals ready for the entire week. You'll save time and have some amazingly delicious meals like Smoky Paprika Chicken Legs with Roasted Carrots, Parsnips & Fennel or Turkey & Zucchini Lasagna. Allison is offering listeners one month for just $4! You can't beat it. Check out PrepDish for this amazing deal! Use code: happyhour