When Joy Came to Stay Book

This book was great for two reasons. It tells the story of a christian woman who deals with a real life issue: depression. Maggie believed that just because she was a woman of faith that she wouldn't ever have to deal with things like depression or self doubt and when she did she had a breakdown because she felt like somehow she wasn't strong enough to deal with life. Woman of every walk of life put too much pressure on themselves to be perfect: mothers, homemakers, wives, people and are putting on a mask over what they really feel. Most have depression issues: because reality is this no one is perfect all the time and can't be. Some may even turn the responsiblity for feeling that they have to be perfect onto others,(like maggie did) but our choices and consequences of those choices rest on our own shoulders. The other issue addressed is giving babies up for adoption and the after effects for the mother and the child. Some are good stories but others don't end so good. Birth mothers live with the guilt and the what if's. Children sometimes get good homes and sometimes they are place in foster care where more harm is done that good. This book addresses it all. It was hard to put down. Life doesn't always turn out happily ever after, but this story does and maggie is able to understand her depression and her feelings and work through them enabling her to forgive and be honest with her husband about her daughter that she gave up at birth 8 years earlier and her desire to make contact with her and also admit that her decision to give her up was her own. This story really made me think about becoming a foster parent even if for a temperary time. We are all so blessed and others are in need.