Book excerpt: "Remember friends as you pass by, As you are now so once was I. As I am now, you soon will be. Prepare for death and follow me." After reading these words on a tombstone, Michael J. Maxson, author of If the Souls Could Speak, embarked on a journey toward renewed purpose and passion in his life. Left a widower after twenty-four years of marriage, Maxson searched for a new lease on life and found it in, of all places, a graveyard. Following his wife's untimely death, Maxson grieved by regularly visiting his wife's grave and then other graves, reading and recording the epitaphs that spoke to him. He covered thousands of miles as he traveled to more than seventy sites in North and South Carolina and collected hundreds of epitaphs. The quotes are powerful and his message is simple: "Live for today and be prepared, for tomorrow may never come." "The loss of a loved one is a universal experience. The examination of that loss and the acceptance of the journey that follows is a road far less traveled. If the Souls Could Speak reads much like a handbook for the weary and brokenhearted. Even throughout moments of great despondence, Mike Maxson shows us that, with a little preparation, and a lot of faith, we too can overcome the pain of death's unyielding march." -Jed Whitley: Entrepreneur, Photographer Michael Maxson challenges you to embrace his journey and may his book If the Souls Could Speak, be your catalyst in connecting with the most powerful force on earth - the gracious love of Jesus Christ.