“The miracle of laughter is that it can live right in the middle of pain. One minute I can’t wrap my mind around the horror of my circumstances and the next, I am laughing, a brief reminder that I am still myself. No matter what has happened or will happen, the darkness doesn’t define me.
This isn’t an act of denial. It’s a beautiful paradox. Joy can live alongside sorrow, and laughter can live alongside pain, and the two don’t have to be at war. They can just be.
We can just be. In pain and full of joy all at the same time.”
-from Laughing at the Dark
From giant moths to raging toddlers, from marauding chipmunks to life-threatening illnesses, Deborah Dunlevy tackles the raw reality of life and motherhood. Her honesty and humor provoke laughter and tears at the same time, and her stories remind us that living is a messy and dangerous business for everyone so we are not alone in facing the dark.
“I read this book in the middle of my perpetually messy house, while caring for my loud and chaotic kids. I usually don’t highlight in my books (because they are sacred) but I found myself scribbling all over this one! So much truth. Truth about the chaos of life, and full of the ability to laugh at the crazy. So much hope! It’s just what I needed. It’s real, just like my life. It’s messy just like me. And it’s hopeful which is what I need. It’s not just for mothers, it’s for anyone who has encountered the chaos of life and needs some hope.”
-Julie Landrum
“I loved this book. Easy and quick to read but deep lessons for the heart. Through humor and honesty Deb shares how being able to laugh in her darkest times and places helped her learn and move through them. But more than just a catalog of her stories, these spoke to my heart and helped me look at my stories differently. A great gift for women of all ages.”
-Joy Gilraine
“This authentic collection of stories is such a gift to the busy, hands bursting at the seams mom and/or person sitting in the trenches. Deb leads with vulnerability, uses her own stories in her own voice and creates a deep sigh of relief for a reader who may be in a season of loneliness or chaos. The reader is guaranteed to feel every sort of emotion throughout the book, all while wanting to underline Deb’s one-liners and helpful zingers pertaining to parenthood, marriage, faith, and community.”
Sam R.
Deborah Dunlevy 