And Then There Was One: Personal Stories Written as Memoir - A Request From My Dying Mother
And Then There Was One: A Promise Kept, A Legacy Shared
Barnes & Noble: "Readers praise her for sharing life's joys and heartbreaks with vivid, emotional storytelling-delivering 19 brilliant, resonant escapes that stay with you."
Goodreads: "Reviewers call Gilson's writing emotionally naked... a five-star drama based on real-life events, told with humor, gripping honesty, and breathtaking insight."
When Deborah Gilson's beloved mother was dying, she had one final request: "Put your stories into a book." Though Deborah considered herself a storyteller, not an author, she made a promise. On her mother's would-be birthday in December 2001, Deborah stepped out of a bookbinding shop holding her collection of stories, raising it skyward for her angel mother to see.
This powerful debut memoir fulfills that vow-a soul-stirring collection of 19 true stories spanning six decades of survival, faith and fierce love.
In one of the memoir's most healing moments, a Bruce Springsteen song unexpectedly becomes the turning point in Deborah's lifelong grief over her brother's suicide-a quiet, profound reminder of how music can reach where words cannot.
Inside these pages, you'll experience:
A childhood friendship tested by 1960s racism
The tragic loss of rescued animals at the hands of her adoptive father
A violent crime witnessed at close range
The ghost who appeared during Deborah's pregnancy
A 60-hour labor that shaped her as a mother
The heartbreak of losing her brother to suicide
A child's drowning left an unforgettable mark
Her painful rejection from the Catholic Church
An encounter with an angel who intervened to protect her and her toddler son.
And Then There Was One was the title Deborah's mother dreamed of writing to process her grief after losing her son. She never had the chance. Deborah honors her mother's story, voice, and legacy by telling her own.
This is more than a memoir. It's a spiritual offering, a testament to a mother's faith in her daughter's words, and an invitation for readers to heal through truth, connection, and courage.
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