I have dreamed about having a book release party ever since Nancy Weston wrote and illustrated a children’s book on thirtysomething back in the late 80s and went on to have the most magical celebration ever. I wanted that.  I wanted that when I was in junior college and planning to major in business and had turned off my childhood wish of being a writer.  And I think I wanted that book release party because I really hadn’t turned off that childhood wish to be a writer.

And here I am.  Twenty-five years later and a handful of indie and traditionally published books later and here I am.  Celebrating my dream come true.

I struggled with the decision of whether to hold a release party.  For a couple reasons.  One, it felt very self-centered and selfish.  As I said to a friend, who throws a birthday party for herself?  Or a party to celebrate a promotion for herself?  And two, this book is only published because I am now divorced.  And who celebrates that? Even if a marriage were difficult and a divorce was what was needed for healing and wholeness to come to pass, no divorce should be celebrated.

But as I said to the dear friends and family and some-strangers-now-friends who attended Saturday night, here’s why I decided to do this.

Because I realized that this party was not about my divorce.  It was really about how God continually takes incredibly horrible things in our lives and turns them into something beautiful, when we let him, and how he continually surprises us with the whole point of horrible things: to take the comfort that he’s offered us and healed us with, and to pass it along to others who are hurting and in need of that comfort.

And so that is what I celebrated on Saturday night: getting through hard things, and then trying to comfort others through my words with the comfort God has given me.

I’m one lucky, lucky loved and supported girl.  The party was all I had hoped for and more.  And here are just a few of the beautiful moments of the night (captured by my friend, Stephanie Ho).