When my neighborhood book club got together at the end of summer to select the books for the coming year, the first selection out of the hat (mine) was The Color of Rain by Michael and Gina Spehn. It was recommended to me by my college friend, Laura Murphy, who knows and lives in the same town as the Spehns - Rochester, Michigan. I was also lucky to host for the night in my home.
Not to give away the full story but here is what is on the back jacket of the book: "When two childhood friends die of cancer just weeks apart, the shared experience of loss brings their grieving spouses together. After months of late night phone calls, family dinners, and countless tears and dreams, this unlikely pair builds a trust, a love, and a shared life."
They also built a foundation for families in financial crisis due to a cancer diagnosis: New Day https://www.foundationforfamilies.org/
The book club had a lively discussion before we patched Gina in on a Zoom call to continue the conversation with us and a bit of Q &A. It was a great night. Gina is spiritual, inspirational and upbeat. No topic was off limits. She was also candid on how she is handling her (5) young adults in their 20's; navigating college, their first jobs and moving away from home. It's not every day that an author joins in with a book club evening, so we are grateful for Gina carving out some time to spend some with us on a very special night for all of us.
If there is a chance you recognize Gina and Michael's story, The Color of Rain was made into a Hallmark movie in 2014 starring Lacey Chabert. Two weeks ago, on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, Lacey Chabert won almost $60,000 for The New Day Foundation to kick off their gala and fundraising event. Good things are happening for the entire Spehn family!
BSoleille!
Terri
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