Courtney Westlake - A Different Beautiful: Discovering and Celebrating Beauty in Places You Never Expected

I was touched and inspired by reading this story of how one family is turning what some would see as difficult into something so positive and beautiful. No matter where youre at in life, this book will encourage you to look for the beauty in every situation.

Crystal Paine, Founder, MoneySavingMom.com and New York Times Bestselling Author, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode

The most dazzling beauty in this world is not found on magazine covers, TV commercials, or fashion runways as promised by our media. Uplifting and faith-filled, Courtney Westlakes A Different Beautiful reaffirms, in a society that prioritizes perfection, just how wonderful different can be.

LeAnn Thieman, CSP, CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame, and Author, Chicken Soup for the Soul: a Book of Miracles and Chicken Soup for the Soul: Answered Prayers

In a world determined to ease or eliminate all evidence of different, Courtney Westlake speaks a powerful word. Its not our sameness that makes us beautiful, but our differences. Rather than resenting the unexpected and reeling from the resulting disappointment, you and I can learn to find beauty in the most unexpectedand incredibleplaces. The reward? A truly beautiful life.

Michele Cushatt, Author, Undone: A Story of Making Peace with an Unexpected Life

In A Different Beautiful, Courtney captivated me with her ability to define beauty in a countercultural way. Through Brennas story, you get to peek inside this familys great journey of transformation, courage, and hope. Courtney has a gift for sharing real struggle, always entangled with hope and a higher perspective. Its a must-read for all families looking to see the beauty from the eye of the Creator.

Courtney DeFeo, Author, In This House, We Will Giggle

A Different Beautiful is a touching and tenderly told story that will inspire you to see and experience beauty through the eyes of God. Brennas precious life and brave journey will enlarge your eyes and enliven your heart to discover beauty in your own unexpected places.

Jeannie Cunnion, Author, Parenting the Wholehearted Child

A Different Beautiful is a precious jewel that will touch your heart and inspire your soul. This book teaches us an invaluable life lesson: our wrapping is not as meaningful as the gift we have inside. This message could change your life forever!

Roger Crawford, Author, Think Again!, How High Can You Bounce?, and Playing from the Heart, Member of the National Speakers Association Hall of Fame, and Hall of Fame Division 1 Athlete (the only athlete with four impaired limbs to compete in a NCAA Division One college sport)

This is a story for all of us, because we all deal with the unexpected in this life. Thank you, Courtney, for leading the way and for showing us how to walk through the challenges of life so beautifully.

Jill Savage, CEO of Hearts at Home and author of No More Perfect Moms

To struggle through pain and confusion is difficult. To watch your child struggle through pain and confusion that will change a person. In her book A Different Beautiful, Courtney Westlake gives us a glimpse into the life of a family grappling with their daughters unexpected and, at times, scary diagnosis. Courtney shares their story with an eloquence and wisdom that moved me I couldnt stop at the end of each chapter. As she comes face-to-face with Gods beautiful design in her precious daughter, Courtney allows us into her healing so that we can be restored along with her.

Sarah Kovac, Author, In Capable Arms: Living a Life Embraced by Grace

Poignantly told without any hint of self-pity, Courtneys story gripped me from the very first page and didnt let go. Deeply moving and encouraging, it is a message our hearts all need to hear.

Ruth Soukup, New York Times Bestselling Author of Living Well, Spending Less and Unstuffed

2016 by Courtney Westlake

Print ISBN 978-1-63409-726-0

eBook Editions:
Adobe Digital Edition (.epub) 978-1-63409-923-3
Kindle and MobiPocket Edition (.prc) 978-1-63409-924-0

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Scripture taken from the H OLY B IBLE , N EW I NTERNATIONAL V ERSION . NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Cover image by Tara Long Photography.

Published in association with The Blythe Daniel Agency, P.O. Box 64197, Colorado Springs, CO 80962-4197

Published by Shiloh Run Press, an imprint of Barbour Publishing, Inc., P.O.
Box 719, Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683, www.shilohrunpress.com

Our mission is to publish and distribute inspirational products offering exceptional value and biblical encouragement to the masses.

Printed in the United States of America.

To my husband, Evan, and two beautiful children, Connor and Brenna: you have enriched my life in more ways than I could ever describe.
I love you with all of my heart.

W hen we encounter the unexpected, one of the most commonly used phrases is, My world was turned upside down.

But when my husband, my son, and I welcomed our daughter into our family, our world was not turned upside down.

When something is turned upside down, it falls apart. When it is upside down, it is destroyed and cannot be rebuilt. When liquid is upside down, it pours out, and you cant fill your cup back up. When a LEGO tower is turned upside down, the pieces fall off, crash, and break apart.

But not our world. Our world was shaken up. When you shake something, only the strongest pieces remain standing. The weak pieces fall to the wayside.

With the arrival of our daughter, our world was shaken to the core. But the strongest pieces remainedour marriage, our relationships with our family and our dear friends, our home, our jobs, and our community support. The most important priorities not only remained but grew stronger.

And through this, we came to realize how unimportant those weak pieces were that fell apart and fell offpieces of our lives that were not priorities, that didnt matter.

With the strongest pieces remaining, we could focus on the important. With the unstable and nonessential pieces gone, we now had a clearer view of what was most important.

The clutter we kept adding to life as we busied ourselves with jobs, social activities, and other people suddenly gave way to a clarity we had never experienced before. Suddenly, the beauty of God was before us in the most raw and miraculous form.