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GO! Bookshelf: Local author shares stories of success, failure

By Amy Fauth Afauth@heraldstandard.Com 4 min read
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A Uniontown area woman has written a book of shared stories from her life and writings of others that have inspired her with one intention – to help others get through those tough times. Writing under a pen name, Sam Sekimi has published “LifeĢƵ Not Fair…but God Is Awesome,” a book of inspirational and spiritual reflections published by WestBow Press.

In the book, Sekimi touches on topics like marriage, commitment, divorce, loss, death, forgiveness and hope.

“ItĢƵ good to have a good purpose,” said Sekimi. “I’ve had a lot of good responses (to the book).”

Sekimi is a retired teacher with 34 years of experience teaching high school. Sekimi has a MasterĢƵ degree in working with socially and emotionally maladjusted children. Twice married and twice divorced, she is the mother of a daughter (Louisa) and son (Sam), who she proudly said created the cover to her book. Throughout her life, she said her church and faith have taught her to give back using whatever time, talent and treasure she has. ThatĢƵ what inspired her to write the book.

“It just came to me one day,” Sekimi shared. “I didn’t pursue it right away but it was time.”

Sekimi said she had a strong belief that if even one person could be helped by sharing her story – despite how difficult it was to relive it – she had to do it.

In the first half of the book, Sekimi shares her own experiences and how she endured them with faith and trust in God.

One of those experiences was the ending of both her marriages.

She considered the ends of both her marriages her biggest failures. She believed the commitment to the meaning behind her marriage vows should be lived out until death. When this didn’t happen, her self-esteem and confidence were broken, and only with time, counseling, and the love of God could she recover.

ItĢƵ important that anyone going through loss understand that it isn’t their fault and they aren’t alone, she said.

“I want my readers to be able to see that even though your heart and spirit can be broken, if you believe in a power higher than yourself, listen for His voice, and take the action steps necessary to get you to the other side of victory, you can make it through anything.”

In “LifeĢƵ Not Fair… But God Is Awesome,” Sekimi presents her 21-year journey through the events of her life and the stories she has created along the way. She hopes that through her experiences, challenges, successes, and failures, others may gain the encouragement and confidence they might be lacking.

In the second half of the book, she includes writings of others who influenced and taught her through this process.

Sekimi has many hobbies that keep her busy, including cooking, sewing and crafts, reading, nature photography, poetry and many more. There are many things that make her smile like a good cup of coffee, something sweet, a delicious meal with friends or family, or taking a trip close to home or far away.

SheĢƵ a self-proclaimed avid football fan and has been since the 1970s. She also enjoys volunteering with a special interest in working with teenagers and adults to prepare them for the importance of communication and commitment in relationships.

“ItĢƵ been a long journey, but I’m hopeful,” reflected Sekimi.

Her passion now is as a motivational speaker at various events, such as womenĢƵ groups meetings and libraries. SheĢƵ looking forward to continuing with that soon.

The book is available in hard and soft cover and as an e-book through Amazon and Barnes & Noble and where ever you buy books.

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