A. J. Drewie - Youre on Your Own: A Mothers Letters on Life to Her Sons

A young mother diagnosed with a mental disorder, shortly after leaving an abusive marriage, is determined to harness her remaining energies into caring for her children. In her journey of raising her young sons to be responsible, independent and well-balanced adults, who become caring and contributing members of society, she also finds personal healing. She documents her views on a variety of meaningful life topics in a series of letters written over several decades in a style reminiscent of Kahlil Gibrans The Prophet. You get a strong sense of her struggles, which she faced and resolved by choosing to live her life by her personal code of love, respect and compassion and with God at the centre. She relates the answers she has found and invites her sons to find their own answers, according to their personal codes, to which she has contributed as mother, friend, spiritual advisor, social director, teacher, mother-in-law and, finally, grandmother.

LAM, B. Eng.

We all need a mother like A. J. Drewie to counsel us! These letters by the author to her sons are replete with nuggets of timeless wisdom, drawn from personal experience and offered in a down-to-earth language, covering a gamut of topics from sexuality to dementia to worship. Throughout, Mom is open about her regrets and flaws as a parent, but what really shines through is her love for and devotion to her boys as they grow into adulthoodsometimes seen through a filter of wistfulness for their earlier years and sometimes lit with a radiant joy such as the kind that comes to her as she enters into grandparenthood. The collection is a treasury of advice not only for the intended recipients, but for all of us, and peering figuratively over Trevor and Tylers shoulders to peruse these letters can only enrich our perspectives on various aspects of life.

AB

Youre on Your Own by author A. J. Drewie is a collection of letters written as a gift to her sons, Trevor and Tyler. In these, Drewie shares her challenges, transformations, values, insights and most importantly, her affection for them. As Drewie writes, Love is the motivator that pushes us beyond our human frailties and imperfections and wants to become more alive, creating loving relationships with other people. Genuine and endearing. A celebration of a life lived.

Karen Vanscoy, RN, BScN

Founder, Mental health Consultant

Mental Health Solutions

Many journeys through life are fraught with pain and challenge to the human spirit. In Youre on Your Own, A. J. Drewie shares her experiences in meeting the challenges of an abusive marriage and a diagnosis of bipolar disorder while trying to raise her two sons. Through a series of intimate letters written to the boys, she imparts her hard-won lessons on life, values, faith and family. Drewie demonstrates the resilience of the human spirit in overcoming overwhelming obstacles as she raises her sons to become loving parents in their own right. She offers guidance to us all in these troubled times.

Marty Zelenietz