Joy Is My Answer

Life's tests are God's opportunity to refine us.

"I was brought to my knees by a broken heart. I needed God, and he was there. He carried me unconditionally and without judgment as we know it in this life. My fear of losing a loved one was realized. Afterward, my eyes were opened. Now I know that the things of this world are insignificant in the bigger picture...." -from the Foreword

In her candid memoir, Joy Is My Answer, Laura Stoker bravely shares the difficulties of life and co-parenting with a spouse struggling with mental illness. A mother of six, including five girls, Laura is shocked to realize that her oldest daughter may be following in her footsteps in the poor treatment she accepts from young men. Laura sees this as a reflection of her own choices.

Ultimately, Laura's desire to break free from her marriage and create stability for herself and her children tests her courage to its limit. Laura's faith in God sustains her and gives her the strength and peace needed to overcome the deepest of tragedy and open her heart to true happiness and new love. Her search for further healing and closure leads her to the wilds of the Amazon jungle of Peru where she finds the peace and comfort she was searching for while doing an ancient shamanic ceremony with the Shipibo tribe and drinking the plant medicine Ayahuasca, which has been utilized for such purposes for centuries.