“I’d like to tell you about my sister, one of the strongest women I know. She’s always been pretty amazing to me as my older sister and best friend. Like many sisters, while we were growing up, we fought and made up, battled and restored our relationship. By the time she got married at 21 and started a family shortly thereafter, our friendship had outgrown childish ways. But I didn’t have any idea how much I would admire the depth of her strength until very recently.

Four years ago my family eagerly anticipated the arrival of my first nephew, who was due on July 20. The nursery, adorned in fire trucks and Dalmatians, was ready for him to come home. My sister, the consummate planner, couldn’t have been more prepared with clothes washed and diapers stacked.

And then the unthinkable happened on June 17. The baby’s heart stopped beating. No explanations. No reasons. My sister gave birth to a perfect little boy, who weighed 5lbs, 5oz and had a full-head of dark brown hair. He was beautifully and wonderfully made. And gone.

I can’t even put into words the magnitude of pain that rocked our family. Sweet anticipation turned to heartbreaking agony, no one affected more than my sister.

Like it often does, time didn’t make us forget but rather helped to soothe the ache of such a great loss. Three years later, my sister found herself once again expecting a little boy and with that all the fear and anxiety from a pain still so fresh. While I wouldn’t have blamed her if she turned inside, focusing on her own fear and shutting the rest of the world out, she amazed me by opening her heart to others in need. Bringing together groups of people to reach out to those in need, she offered a level of compassion and kindness that could only come from knowing true loss.

As I thought about my sister, I began thinking about the heroines in my books The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn and Vanishing Act, who also had to decide how they would move forward in the face of loss. I realized that strong, brave women, aren’t promised not to face pain. Rather, the Bible assures us all that trials will come. Strong women simply have the courage to let that trial mold them into women who love God and love others with passionate abandon.–Elizabeth Johnson

Thank you, Elizabeth, for this story of your sister, a truly amazing strong and brave woman. For more about Elizabeth’s writing and life, drop by www.lizjohnsonbooks.com