It’s taken me awhile, but I finally sat down and finished Kate Motaung’s A Place to Land: A Story of Longing & Belonging. Even though there was quite a lag between reading sessions, the book never lost a beat.

Kate’s way with words not only tell a story — a very personal story — but engulf you as a reader. That might not be totally accurate. More accurate might be, you journey with Kate — by her side, witnessing the pain, grief, laughter and joy — almost first-hand. Her descriptive words draw you in and her writing style keeps you there.

This memoir show Kate’s vulnerable side {don’t we all have a vulnerable side?} as she navigates through her parents’ divorce, her restlessness in finding a “meaning” for her life, her life on two continents, two international moves and 10 rental homes in 10 years. Her back cover states, “When home is supposed to be synonymous with love and comfort and safety, unpredictable and unwelcome life events — even the chosen but challenging ones —  can shake you to your core.” Yet she bares her soul as she looks back and, more important, looks forward, ultimately recognizing our earthly address is just temporary. “I now know how to respond the next time someone asks me the simple question, ‘Are you heading home?’ Regardless of my earthly destination, and purely because of God’s grace and Christ’s sacrifice, I’ll be able to answer with confidence, ‘Yes. Yes, I am.’ ”

From start to finish, Kate constantly refers to her mother — her anchor. And much of the book deals with the grief of her mother’s battle with cancer. In this sense, the book not only was a tribute to her mother, but also therapeutic as she verbally, through her words, deals with her mother’s death.

I was surprised Kate chose to start her journey flying home for her mom’s funeral. Those first few chapters seemed out of place as she chronicled her life. lt turns out the prelude provided bookends for the book.

A Place to Land will tug at your heartstrings and make you just want to reach out and give Kate a big hug. I’ll also give it five stars.

A Place to Land: A Story of Longing & Belonging, Kate Motaung, Discovery House, 2018. ISBN: 978-1-62707-662-3.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: The quick answer is seldom the one that’s the best answer.