Beyond the Backpack: Lighten the Load and Heal the Heart

by Kate Highland

Beyond the Backpack is one woman's story about forgiveness and healing. The diagnosis of a tumor not only shakes Kate into the present moment, it also sweeps her back to her past.

When she was nine years old, her dad's job required a transfer from the Midwest to the East Coast. While Kate’s parents and five siblings were seemingly adapting well to a new lifestyle, her struggles became heavy. She placed them in her backpack, toting worries and concerns through the years.

Now caught in adult turmoil, facing endless dilemmas, living a life that feels out of control, she begins to notice similarities to her childhood experiences. Memories she’d fought to bury continued to surface. These connections, though painful at times, are the very things that land her on a healing path.

Through the telling of early memories, honest and emotionally wrenching, she sifts through layers of buried feelings, pondering the origin of unresolved issues. Kate embarks on a healing journey that ends with the triumph of letting go.

342 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 2, 2016