Book excerpt: The Day My Heart Turned Blue: Healing After the Loss of My Mother After witnessing her mother’s death, Karla J. Noland struggled with the uncertainty of what life would be like without her. Then, while packing up her mother’s belongings, Karla uncovered a collection of journal writings and prayers that changed her life forever. The Day My Heart Turned Blue: Healing After the Loss of My Mother was written for people reeling from the death of a parent and needing encouragement and direction to help them move forward. There are three parts to the book. Part 1: Picking up the Pieces, describes Karla’s experience as she witnessed her mother take her last breath and the phases of grief she went through while being the executrix of her mother’s estate. Part 2: In Her Own Words, emphasizes the power of journaling and displays the handwritten journal entries of Karla’s mother, Eutrice E. James. This section describes how the journals gave Karla solace in her grief and allowed her to see her mother as a more complex person. Part 3: Give Yourself Permission, outlines Karla’s healing process and the creation of her coaching business, Reveal Heal Thrive LLC. It is also a call to action for readers to begin their own healing process. Karla encourages others to journal their life experiences in order to uncover their hidden pain and heal from it so they can live life to the fullest. The Day My Heart Turned Blue tells the story of how Karla found the strength to turn her pain into purpose after losing her mother. She hopes her readers will walk away encouraged and give themselves permission to discover their own strength and walk in it.