One Ripple at a Time demonstrates that after a tragic loss—if a person decides there’s no option but recovery and hope—it will happen!

My life took many difficult turns and challenges after the drowning of my nine-year-old son, Brian, on the Inn River in Austria. Untold side channels forced me into directions I deemed impossible. As mother and wife, I had to muster every bit of courage my body, brain, and heart held to care for Brian’s six-year-old sister and the devastated husband who blamed himself for the accident. Personal healing went on hold.

The aftermath threaded forward from this, my early adult life, to 20 years later, when I started to examine my own feelings of guilt. As a non-swimmer, I learned to sail and even paddle Class III  river rapids with trusted friends. 

Janice in Morocco with young friends

Exploring the World

For several years, I taught overseas in Syria, Colombia, and Saudi Arabia. I traveled solo through the backroads of seventy countries to study diverse societies and perspectives—where I interviewed parents and others who had found peace after losing someone close, leading me to consider a vast range of insights and strategies for surviving and thriving. While visiting the Greek Isle of Patmos, where John of Patmos is said to have written the Book of Revelation, I re-established a measure of inner strength that moved me forward in my journey.

Before I learned how to connect again with Brian’s spirit of love and caring, I had to ford more ripples. In 2011, while taking ballroom dance classes to build strength in my back and core, I danced under a sparkling mirror ball. Above it, Brian’s voice filled my heart, calling me back to the Inn River. There, in a raft at the beginning of a large Class IV rapid, my son and I miraculously renewed our bond.

I have fully faced my deepest pain to release the grief and guilt and embrace the strength within me. Today, I cherish a forever nearness with Brian and feel confident I can support others in their grief journeys, whether their loss was recent or decades ago. I meet women and men every day who have lost children, sisters, parents—and blame themselves. They feel the pressure of family and society to quickly express their grief and then “get back to normal.” I envision this memoir as giving readers yet one more experience to feel what’s true about themselves and the outside world, and to help them discover hope again.

Works in Progress...

I have several books in process: another memoir, a novel, and children’s picture books. I am inspired by writers, friends, and everyday heroes who rise above circumstances considered beyond them. My ultimate goal is to share what life has taught me through my books, social media, and on a daily basis with people who also aspire to no option but recovery and hope! I want to hold each of their hands.  

In both its treacherous and calm forms, water offers shine and buoyancy. Here’s to finding each and every happy surprise beyond the ripples that challenge you.

Janice in Antarctica with penguins