Come Home Alive

Book excerpt: For twenty years, God has been leading, guiding, and preparing author Mari D. Martin to walk alongside her husband, Chris, through a throat cancer diagnosis, the treatment of that cancer, the recovery from the side effects of the treatments, and then through rehabilitation to return to what will be his new normal. In Come Home Alive, Mari shares the oftentimes tender story of their six-part plan to come home alive. She narrates how the couple used their twenty-four years as Kolbe Certified consultants to practice what they taught, consulted, and coached others regarding self-awareness, strengths identification, communication needs, role alignment, and the environment each person needs to thrive. For Chris to thrive again, he needed to heal; and for him to heal, he needed to be in an environment that allowed him to thrive. Come Home Alive tells how Mari’s role as caregiver was to stay true to herself, while also being the hands and feet to recognize, minimize, and complete the tasks and requirements Chris naturally resisted. Their plan, rooted in faith, and hope, started with daily time together in prayer and belief in the healing power of God. It ended with a practice of thankfulness and expecting a miracle. What they did together in the middle is one you can do, too—through greater awareness of each other’s strengths, how to work together, and be a team with the knowledge and wisdom to come home alive.