About the Book

Book: When Your Voice Became Mine

Author: Celeste N. Bowers

Genre: Non-Fiction

Release Date: November 2019

For all those who have lost hope and purpose, and for all those who hurt deep inside from loss, author Celeste Bowers wishes she could spare you from pain, just as she hoped she could shield her own ten-year-old daughter, Christina, from the storms.

Although she can’t protect you from life’s tragedies, Celeste can tell you this—and she is proof of this—no matter how hard you fall or how much you ache, God will lift you up with new purpose. He will carry you out of the weeping waves and safely to shore.

Celeste has been sending “packages” to heaven since her daughter passed away on May 29, 2005. What she never fathomed were the gifts sent back to deeply define her.

In a moment, Christina’s voice became hers. In that same moment, she knew “there is a mailbox in heaven.”

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About the Author

Celeste Bowers has been blessed with gifts of writing, teaching, coaching, making people laugh, and being a mom. These gifts held crucial roles when her daughter, Christina, was diagnosed with cancer. Every gift Celeste received from God is tied together in her words. Packages bundled in love and filled with life lessons are sent to heaven in her first book, If There’s a Mailbox in Heaven. Christina’s testimony and Celeste’s newfound purpose are now joined together in When Your Voice Became Mine.

More from Celeste

Time is such a fragile commodity. When someone we love passes away,

we want the whole world to stop moving and acknowledge what truly matters at that moment—but we also want time to fly so we don’t have

to endure another day without our loved ones. What helped me move

gently through time was nothing that came about by my own means. Instead, I have trusted God wholeheartedly to navigate my path.

Time does not exist in heaven. Since heaven is our real home, I

will not allow time to consume me here on earth; instead, I choose

to use my precious time wisely. I have been sending “packages” to heaven—letters that I write

to my ten-year-old daughter Christina—since she passed away on May 29, 2005. Each one is

tied with my hopes, wishes, and newfound purpose. What I never

fathomed were the gifts from above that would be sent back to me.

In a moment, Christina’s voice became mine. In that same moment,

I knew there is a mailbox in heaven.

My Review

There is so much to love about this book, and it is one that will stick with me for a long time. I initially decided to sign up to review it because a very dear friend of mine passed away at the end of August, and I felt drawn to the book’s description. However, as I realized that it was next up on my list, I started having second thoughts. With various health concerns and other issues causing me to feel overwhelmed already, I definitely did not feel up to reading a book about a child’s battle with cancer, even if it was an inspirational story, because I didn’t want to also experience the sorrowful aspect. Yet as I began reading, I realized that this was a book that blew my assumptions and expectations out of the water.

With “When Your Voice Became Mine”, Celeste Bowers chronicles the hard journey of her daughter’s unexpected and short battle with cancer, but as she asserts in the introduction, this book is not about cancer but rather about how her daughter, Christina, glorified God with her life. In following other families’ journeys through devastating diagnoses and through those of some of my own friends who have passed away, the one thing that stands out the most is their extraordinary faith. The same is true here. “And a little child shall lead them” kept echoing in my head while I read. Christina’s impact and legacy of faith in Christ lives on and grows, and it inspires me to become bolder in my faith. You never know whose life you might touch and how God will reap a harvest from the seeds you sow.

This book is very unique, not only in its extraordinary message of hope and faith, but also in its format. Glancing through the pages, it seems like a normal layout, with occasional black-and-white photographs included, but it is actually epistolary nonfiction, the first that I’ve read as far as I can recall. Rather than having titled chapters, this book is divided into segments that each represent a package from heaven. They are written as Bowers speaking directly to her daughter through a letter, but with enough background information tactfully woven in so that it makes sense to the reader. I think that this is most of the reason that this book is so upbeat. These writings are heartfelt, poignant, inspirational, and unwaveringly hopeful. I imagine that they have been cathartic for Bowers, and I think that writing letters like this to loved ones could be a powerful tool during the grieving process and beyond. Referencing Christina’s own words at age 10, Bowers sums up her daughter’s calling: “Those words live on and inspire so many people: It’s not about me. It’s about Christ working through me. Your journey was not about cancer or even solely about you. It was about allowing our Lord to work through you to bring others closer to Him, for His name and for His glory.” May that be the life goal of each of us!

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Celebrate Lit and was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.