August 16th, 2021 she has been gone as long as she lived.

She would have turned 30 this Year. April 28th, 2021.

I wanted so much to plan a party for my daughter, Leisha, to celebrate her life in some way. But it just doesn’t seem fun to plan something fun when the birthday girl won’t be there.

This is something important to this mom. This is the year I’ve been ‘celedreading’ since the day she died.

So one way I choose to celebrate is by making our book available at a special prices.

LOVELY TRACES OF HOPE

(the book she started in the back of her journal before she died - and I finished at the 10th anniversary of her death).

This is a great time to get your own copy - or buy some to share with friends. Especially those who are walking with someone in grief. It is only available at this special price through August 2021.

Want to know more - read on!

It’s just another story of a mom desperate for hope after losing her child! Or is it? The one person that spoke significantly into Kathy’s grief was her departed daughter. Listen in as Leisha influences her mom to see the tiny slivers of hope- like wisps of a dandelion.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Days after the sudden death of her 15-year-old daughter, Leisha, Kathy Burrus found chapter one of a book her daughter had begun to write. Overwhelmed with grief, Kathy asked many of the questions we ask ourselves in life’s most painful moments;

• Why is this happening to me? 
• Where are you God?
• How can I deal with this unexpected pain in my life?

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about the authors

Kathy Burrus never intended to be an author.

Wife. Mother. Life Coach. Speaker. All of these things, yes! But writing a book was definitely not on her bucket list!

That changed the day after her daughter Leisha died. In the back of Leisha’s journal, she found Chapter One of a book her daughter had begun. It opened by telling Kathy’s story and ended with "…and then I was born, Leisha D. Burrus". In that moment, Kathy knew she was meant to finish the book.

Kathy is a lover of stories, and more importantly, of the people who live those stories. She chose to become a certified professional life coach to take this a step further, and help women hear, through their own stories, who they are and how they are making a difference in their world. She loves to help them intentionally design hope as they engage their life, empower their love in marriage, and even embrace their loss.

Drawing from her experience as a life coach and from years in ministry as a worship leader and as the wife of a pastor, Kathy has found her author’s voice. In her writing, she shares a message of hope and healing to women that is authentically transparent.

Kathy and her husband Rennie, have been married for 38 years. They have three beautiful daughters; Caitlin, Brielle, and Leisha, and now enjoy the presence of two sons-in-law; Jack and Jason. Kathy and Rennie make their home surrounded by the cornfields of Columbus Grove, Ohio.

In her offstage time, Kathy enjoys hosting tea parties with her grandmother’s china, listening to music that matches her mood, and observing the beauty of nature from some of her favorite spaces. Add to that some precious time with family and friends and she is one happy lady.

To schedule Kathy for your women’s event or conference, or to learn more about her ministry and how she can help you listen to your story, email kathy@kathyburrus.com.

Meet Leisha

I had always known Leisha was a lover of words. She liked to sing them, debate them, cheer them, and even make acrostics out of them. She especially liked to talk, whether it was telling a favorite story or encouraging a friend. She would often record her thoughts and stories of most recent events on a tape recorder we had given her. Her journals were full of memories of her life. But we did not know she was writing her story until the day she died.

Inspiration for the book

Leisha had the title page for her book. "Lovely Traces" But she wrote only one chapter. She started to tell of her birth, but chose instead to write that one chapter about my story and the years leading up to her birth. The chapter ended, "And then I was born. Leisha Danae Burrus. April 28, 1991."

I knew the day I read this chapter that it was mine to finish. But her chapter was the start I needed to take a long look at my own story. Leisha prompted me to take time to pay attention to incredible lessons from my own journey. Now together Leisha and I encourage you to do the same.

Foreword by Linda Dillow

Dear Kathy,

Thank you for walking through the dark tunnel to His Light
Thank you for writing so honestly and vulnerably for me and others about grief and pain and how to walk….
believing that there is HIS Light somewhere ahead
Thank you for “taking your clothes off” and being real
Thank you for revealing the beauty of walking the Christ walk.

Dear Reader: Why do I think you should read this book? Let me use Leisha’s name to tell you.

L egacy
Both Leisha and Kathy have much to share about building your legacy. Kathy says, When we intentionally NOTICE what really is happening, it gives us an opportunity to reflect on what we
are learning from it. More importantly we see what God has been doing. We NOTICE His fingerprints, HIS HAND on our everyday, ordinary lives. That is especially true when we
reckon with the painful areas that may leave us paralyzed in some way. Many times just “noticing” allows us to reframe the events and their effects on our future.

E ncouragement
As a mom, Kathy gave me hope, showed me how to face problems with teens, how to reach inside myself and be willing to look honestly at “me.” We all face loss. Loss is not the defining moment of our lives, it is how we respond to loss that matters. Kathy helped me see in a new way that healing is a progression.

I nfluence
Not many fifteen year olds think about being an influence—they are too busy thinking about boys, clothes or the Friday night party. Leisha wanted to be MAD (Make a Difference)! At her
tender age, she thought about being an influence and leaving a legacy. Teens need to read this book!

S incere
Kathy is honest. Listen to her sincere words. I hesitate to write these next pages. Offering them here is a risk. What will you think of me if I tell of the places in our lives we didn’t have it all
together? What if I take off the mask enough for you to see me as I really am?

H oly
Leisha and Kathy’s book points you to the Lord God Almighty. In pain. In grief. When life is a dark tunnel, Kathy discovered that God is still Light. She says, I had to learn to NOTICE God
showing up differently.

A dvance
This book is an advance. It takes you forward in your thinking, in your faith, in your personal journey toward the legacy you are creating. Books have been written on grief. Kathy achingly walks
you through how she processed her grief. Books have been written on how to help your teen and whole family walk through trials, Kathy shows you how her family did it.

Leisha and Kathy’s combined story is for every mom, every teen….really for everyone. I highly recommend Lovely Traces of Hope to you. I promise you it will lead you to hope as it did me!

LINDA DILLOW

Author
Calm My Anxious Heart, Satisfy My Thirsty Soul
(and many others, but these are some of my favorites)

Co-Author
Intimate Issues, Passion Pursuit, Surprised by the Healer

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