This book was written with the intent of offering help and hope to those who, like the author, have suffered the loss of one or more loved ones in their lives. Its pages are lit with messages of ways to find meaning in a troubled and often uncaring world. Following the tragic loss of her sister, the author takes the reader down the path of her struggles to survive, and to search for solace and healing. In the process, she reveals knowledge of what she had seen and heard in her own three near-death experiences. She also reveals what she learned from others along the way. No matter what beliefs you hold, there is knowledge in this book that offers hope for everyone. It gives valuable insight to a world beyond our own; a world where love unites us all.
About the Author: Mirian Bethancourt was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1927, and lived most of her life in that colorful state of bayous, steamboats and great food. She was married to Joseph Bethancourt and raised four children. She graduated from Dominican College with a BA degree and worked as a social worker for the city. The work consisted of serving the financial and counseling needs of families including their elderly members, who, in some cases also needed physical care in nursing homes. In her work with the handicapped, she served clients at United Cerebral Palsy of New Orleans, and to give them an opportunity to advance and receive a paycheck, despite their handicap, she started a T-Shirt printing business at the site. The enterprise was successful for eleven years. She turned her interests to art and writing, later in life, as she moved into retirement. At that time, as an artist, she painted and sold portraits of tourists in the historic section of the city known as Jackson Square. She also painted on consignment many old plantation homes, and the state flower - the magnolia. Mirian was also very involved with the most famous celebration of the city - Mardi Gras. She designed all the costumes for the "Krewe of Iris" for the King's Court, and costumes for their parade. In addition, she was commissioned by the New Orleans department of travel and tourism to design and create an artistic rendition of a typical German city for their annual German Festival. In the mid-1970's, she established and managed two art schools for children and adults in the lakefront area of the city. It wasn't until Mirian moved to California that her interests in writing became more prominent. At that time, 1998, she turned to writing magazine articles and free-lance inspirational stories. Many were published in the Ventura County Star in Thousand Oaks, California, where she now resides.