Notes from Susie

Susie Edwards – a prolific writer of personal notes – demonstrated to literally hundreds of people how to live and die at the hands of ovarian, colon, and liver cancer. Her profound gratitude and abiding sense of peace were evident in the frequent Facebook updates that she and Mark – her caregiver husband – posted during their two-year battle. Devotional books typically tie a scripture passage to daily entries, but in Notes from Susie they chose recent and timeless hymns to capture and express their gratitude, pain, joy, lament, peace, sadness, and worship. They fought the battle together, but Susie set the tone and led the way.

The largest section of the book consists of a condensed version of the more than three hundred updates. Ahead of that body of material, Mark sets the context by introducing Susie from the time they met in 1968 until her diagnosis March 1, 2013. Behind the updates, the Epilogue offers a, “this is what I make of it all,” “this is what
we’re learning,” and, “where we go from here,” chapter. Daughter, Weslee, and son, Nathan, share how they  navigated their own pain and loss to help their young children through their first major life tragedy.

Notes from Susie is an honest look into how one couple, completely devoted to each other and joyful together, meet head-on one of life’s low places, drawing on the support and power of the large cloud of witnesses surrounding them.

Selected Endorsements for Notes from Susie

“I suppose there were more hymns quoted in this book than in any other I have read and every one is a source of strength, an expression of praise, a comment on what is going on at the moment. Thank you Mark, Susie, your family and friends for taking all of us on this trip a step by step, week by week journey from life to death to life, all of it expressed in those wonderful hymn texts whose power we can hardly overstate.”
- Ken Medema, acclaimed composer and concert artist

“You will see it reflected in these pages, and sense the warmth of Christian fellowship exemplary of what “church” is suppose to be. You will get a glimpse of the love and devotion that defines the Edwards family. Perhaps, like me, you will find renewed resolve to express in word and deed your own love for others, especially your spouse. I hope you will also find the song of deliverance, of courage, of strength, implanted in the heart of 'Jesus followers.”
- Paul Clark, Jr., Director of Church Music, Tennessee Baptist Convention

“Susie Edwards taught me much about living with grace. She faced an illness that could have made her angry or bitter, for it robbed her of time with those that she loved. Nonetheless, she possessed an air of quiet dignity and peace that allowed those around her to see that she would not allow cancer to dominate her spirit.”
- Dr. Charles Penley M.D., Tennessee Oncology

“I am not surprised that Susie handled her battle with cancer with dignity and class. After all, that was how Susie lived her life every day.”
- Lonnie Wilkey, editor of the Baptist and Reflector, Tennessee Bapist Convention

“Notes from Susie” became a personal primer of cancer treatments; the blatant honesty burned my eyes with tears of compassion...”
- Carolyn Jenkins, Pastor to Senior Adults, First Baptist Church, Alexandria, VA