Mary Cardin had just begun to heal. She had recently separated from her husband, Chris, the man who had been the love of her life for over 30 years. Then, one phone call changed her life forever. The call came in around midnight from the New Mexico State Police. It was September, 2007. Christopher Lyle Cardin was missing. All evidence pointed to suicide. A black Chevy Avalanche with Pennsylvania license plates had been found at the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge in Taos, New Mexico. The vehicle had reportedly been parked at the bridge for two days, unattended. The truck belonged to Chris. The days and months that followed that phone call would prove to be the test of a lifetime for Mary Cardin. How does a woman survive the not knowing, the search and the discovery of the devastating truth that her husband has taken his own life? In Peace, My Final Gift, the title of this book and the title of her late husband's final work of art, Mary Cardin shares her very personal story of heartache, betrayal, and love. Peace, My Final Gift is a woman's memoir and a story of resiliency. Mary Cardin's experience and her healing process can guide the reader to a renewed sense of faith and certainty, deepening our understanding that even when we are faced with paralyzing loss, we can still find our healing path and walk courageously forward into a magnificent new life. Each one of us travels a unique path and has been assigned a specific life purpose. As we accept Mary Cardin's gift of peace through this writing, her process inspires all of us to look within and discover and follow that purpose. Mary Cardin's story reminds us that as we shift our inner energy, the energy in the world around us can shift. And that a simple thought provides the seed that can grow into our wildest dreams. Peace, My Final Gift is a must read for anyone who aspires to discover a path to peace and transformation or to propel us forward on the path we have already chosen.
About the Author: Mary Cardin grew up in central Pennsylvania. She gained nearly 30 years of management experience in the corporate world in the Atlanta, Georgia area before discovering her true passion for working with the senior citizen population. Ms. Cardin moved to the small town of Durango, Colorado in 2007, fulfilling her lifelong dream of living in the southwest United States. Peace, My Final Gift is Mary Cardin's first published writing. This memoir was created after the loss of her husband and talented artist, Christopher Lyle Cardin, to suicide. Mary Cardin is now the owner of Shining Star Caregivers, a successful in-home non-medical senior care giving service located in Durango, Colorado. Shining Star Caregivers reflects Mary Cardin's compassion for the pain that senior citizens face when they must move from their homes to a care facility. The mission of Shining Star Caregivers is to ensure that whenever possible, senior citizens can remain safe, independent and happy in their own homes. Ms. Cardin is also deeply dedicated to continuing the legacy of her late husband's artwork. His paintings can be viewed on the Chris Cardin website at www.clcardin.com ____________________________________ A Message from the Author Ironically, I owe the inspiration for my memoir to a number of devastating and life-changing events that occurred in my own life-experiences which became even more traumatic by occurring within a very short span of time. This memoir, my first writing, was given birth in a two-year journal kept while in the midst of my pain and as I looked inward and as I searched for my own recovery and healing. The credibility of my writing is in its non-fiction reality. I lived these traumatic events and I learned how to survive them. I am now sharing these experiences and the very personal and powerful secrets of my own successful healing. From my early childhood, I had dreamed of one day living somewhere in America's Southwest. In 2007, I fulfilled that dream by moving, with my little dog, across the country to Durango, Colorado. There I have begun a new life and a new career as owner of a successful in-home, non-medical senior care business called Shining Star Caregivers. The name was inspired by my late husband, Chris, who always called me his shining star. Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I truly hope it has helped you and blessed you in some way and that you can pass those gifts on to others.