GO! Bookshelf: Local author shares stories of success, failure
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 鈥� to help others get through those tough times. Writing under a pen name, Sam Sekimi has published 鈥淟ife鈥檚 Not Fair鈥ut God Is Awesome,鈥� 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.
鈥淚t鈥檚 good to have a good purpose,鈥� said Sekimi. 鈥淚鈥檝e had a lot of good responses (to the book).鈥�
Sekimi is a retired teacher with 34 years of experience teaching high school. Sekimi has a Master鈥檚 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. That鈥檚 what inspired her to write the book.
鈥淚t just came to me one day,鈥� Sekimi shared. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 pursue it right away but it was time.鈥�
Sekimi said she had a strong belief that if even one person could be helped by sharing her story 鈥� despite how difficult it was to relive it 鈥� 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鈥檛 happen, her self-esteem and confidence were broken, and only with time, counseling, and the love of God could she recover.
It鈥檚 important that anyone going through loss understand that it isn鈥檛 their fault and they aren鈥檛 alone, she said.
鈥淚 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.鈥�
In 鈥淟ife鈥檚 Not Fair鈥� But God Is Awesome,鈥� 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.
She鈥檚 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.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a long journey, but I鈥檓 hopeful,鈥� reflected Sekimi.
Her passion now is as a motivational speaker at various events, such as women鈥檚 groups meetings and libraries. She鈥檚 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.