It All Goes with the Wedding Cake

Jessica found her husband sitting on the side of their bed staring blankly across the room. Soon Jim could no longer speak, write, read or understand spoken language. Her mind swirled with panic and her typical logical approach to life went out the window. Over the next seventeen months, she would call upon every ounce of her faith to come out on the other side with a renewed path for her life. Her intimate writings, filled with hope and the power of love, chronicle this magnificent walk into the unknown. "It All Goes With the Wedding Cake" is the story of how one woman fought to be an advocate for her husband and to provide the independence, autonomy and sense of purpose we all deserve.

Jim and Jessica had paved most of the days of their 26-year marriage with purposeful devotion. Jim was a much-loved retired high school band director and a man who could never pass up a chance to play a gig with his musician friends or learn about anything automotive. Jessica's love for her work, as well as music bolstered her each day, too. The non-profit world had been benefiting from her deep well of knowledge for over 40 years. Her clear alto voice could be heard each Sunday in the choir loft. And, she, too, interacted with a vast network of friends and colleagues, always ready to assist those in need. They did not neglect their own happiness as a couple, either. Travel, devotion to their blended family punctuated by a daily "I love you" reminder provided a stability that characterized their union at every turn. That stability was shattered when Jessica found her husband sitting on the side of their bed staring blankly across the room unable to speak. "It All Goes with the Wedding Cake" is a love story told through Jessica's eyes as she and Jim work together to help him recover from a stroke. Jessica's nightly posts are presented here as a story of faith as she fights her way through her feelings of helplessness, frustration, and ultimately to a place of peace during a time when loneliness is her constant companion. As we all look forward to that walk into the unknown, Jessica's intimate writings will fill your heart with hope and the power of love.

Jessica White has been a fundraiser and nonprofit consultant for over 40 years, owning her own consulting business for 20 years. Now a retired widow, she is an active community volunteer who loves spending time with her children and grandchildren. She resides in Indianapolis, Indiana where she grew up.