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“Laura Davis gives us the courage and hope we need to confront the fears that keep us from living full and healthy lives."
Dot Walsh
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I Thought We'd Never Speak Again, Laura Davis's new book, has profound meaning to me because,
as her mother, I am the one she never thought she would speak to again. We became estranged
over a difficult family issue that seemed to be permanently irreconcilable, complicated by
our living on opposite sides of the country. This period in my life, without my daughter, was
excruciatingly painful for me.
Miraculously, motivated by a deep mother- daughter bond, we each took small tentative steps
to break the impasse, and we did. I wanted my daughter in my life again, to be a grandmother
to her children, and she wanted the same. That seemed to both of us a priority over the differences
that separated us. It took time and the courage to push back the fears that we would be hurt
again. Reconciliation required that we be in the present and focus on what we wanted now.
As I grow older, it feels more and more important to let go of old differences that interfere
with my happiness. I need closeness with family.
Laura's book tells many stories of people like us. The scenarios might be different, but the
underlying theme concerns people and groups who are split apart and want it to be different,
hoping to renew their relationships. When Laura first told me about her plans to write the book,
I was naturally apprehensive, even though she assured me that I would have an opportunity to
edit the manuscript. What was she going to say for the whole world to read about? As I pored
through I Thought We'd Never Speak Again during a visit to California, the tears began to flow.
Some passages were difficult for me, but I could sense Laura's desire to spare me any undue pain,
yet use our story to show how reconciliation was possible.
In allowing this book to be published, I had to accept the fact that I was not "perfect," just
human like everyone else. I ended up believing that we could be "imperfect" models for other
people struggling with troubled relationships.
Discounting a mother's pride in her daughter's skill as a writer of clear, touching prose, I
believe this book to offer an inspiration to people who need help and inspiration in reconciling
differences. So many of us need to bring more love and understanding into our lives.
Temme Davis
Photo By Petrina Cooper
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