Almost There

Starred review from May 8, 2017
Military spouse DiFelice writes eloquently about the many difficulties and benefits of moving one’s home from place to place. DiFelice, a former marathon runner, draws frequently on an attitude of endurance and “pushing through the pain” to make the most of wherever she and her Marine husband are stationed. She shares how emotions can become more volatile at the most unexpected times and the ways her poignant memories of family, friends, and key life moments meld together with a sense of loneliness each time she reaches an unfamiliar city. DiFelice is particularly touching when she recalls the Sunday afternoon shopping excursions with her mother and sister that have become fewer and fewer due to how far apart they live. Instead of wallowing in her sorrow, DiFelice calls them every Sunday so she can join with them as they walk. For DiFelice, everyone who longs for a place to call home must make (and keep making) definitive, intentional decisions to create their own haven. This book will appeal broadly to those who have lived a wandering existence, and Christian readers in particular will appreciate DiFelice’s tangents on the lives of biblical characters, which round out this fascinating take on life’s unexpected twists and turns.