A beautifully written book about an equally beautiful story.
I love how the author handles difficult topics and shares her views on it all without dramatizing or overselling or even pushing her own views onto the reader. She simply shares her journey and where it took her.
A beautifully done book that's deserving of every reader!

The Lucky Few begins with a look at what infertility looked like for the Avis family. Avis shares the intimate details of processing the letting go of long-held dreams. And through that process, Avis and her husband make the decision to adopt to grow their family. The Lucky Few takes you through the addition of three children to the Avis family.

Avis shares the realizations she's had about the beauty and pain of adoption. She lets you see inside her mind to everything that she is processing. Though their family adoption two children with down syndrome and heart defects, and one child with an incredibly complicated past, their story is not one of pain.

Avis ultimately shares the joy that she has learned through this journey with God. How it has helped her grow to understand God and his relationship to her better.

The Lucky Few was a beautiful look at how adoption changed this family, and many others as a result, for the better.

There are people who God sends to do good work and Heather Avis is one of those people. This book is beautifully written and it has a powerful message. This families journey through adoption and kids with downs couldn't have happened without the grace of God. Such a powerful message. Bravo to Mrs. Avis and thank you for sharing your journey.

The Lucky Few

Finding God's Best in the Most Unlikely Places



by Heather Avis

Zondervan Non-Fiction

Zondervan



Christian

Pub Date 21 Mar 2017

I am voluntarily reviewing a copy of The Lucky Few through Zondervan and Netgalley in exchange for my honest review:

Heather Avis always knew she would be a Mom from the time she was a child. When her sister has a baby she cannot help but wonder when it will be her turn. She talks about her season of infertility and the expense of private adoptions, by 2008 she is in Romania, when the adoption agency contacts them via email letting them know that babies with Down Syndrome, which are harder to place were placed with the agency.

Once back home Heather contacts the agency about adopting a baby with Down Syndrome after much prayer they decide to adopt a medically fragile baby named Arpi, aware that she may only live to be five or eight, on October 28, 2008, Macyn (The name they gave her) came to live with them.

When Macyn was just over two, her parents got the news they were waiting for, praying for, the Pulmonary Hypertension the doctors thought would drastically shorten her lifespan was gone, they could take the oxygen off.

When Macyn was two, the family started the adoption process for Avis, this time they decide to adopt through the County, Avis they rename Truly Star, and in 2013 they get notified about a family who is looking for adopted parents for their Son who had Down Syndrome. Forty eight after he is born they get to bring their son home like Macyn had, their Son August needed open heart surgery

I give The Lucky Few five out of five stars.

Happy Reading.

Earlier this week I was listening to the latest episode of The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey (this podcast is another favorite!), where she was speaking with Heather Avis, the author of this book. I loved listening to their conversation about adoption, parenting and the grace of Jesus. Hearing Heather share about what it means to use people first language that honors and respects the dignity and humanity of her children, and the sweet ways she tries to extend grace and education to the people she meets in her daily life who may have questions about her family. That podcast episode made me anxious to get home and start this book. This was such a good read! It doesn’t take long, but Heather walks you through how she and her husband went from the pain of trying to create a family to adopting their three beautiful children. Two of their children have Down syndrome, and reading her feelings towards adopting and parenting a child with Down syndrome reminded me of many of the conversations I had with a friend who is also the parent of a child with Down syndrome. They share much of the same fear, joy and awe at the task of parenting these precious humans. This book is a testament to the power of saying yes to God when he places something on your heart, the power of loving people well, and the power of grace that God offers to each of us as we embrace each day and what it holds. If you want a book that will make you smile deeply, cry tears of joy in solidarity with the author and her family, and a book that will leave you refreshed in the healing power of love, then this book is for you. I promise, you won’t be disappointed!

Heather and Josh have always envisioned their life with children. They thought when the time was right, they would have children the old fashion way. Boy, were they in for a surprise! God has a plan of his own, no matter what you have planned for you life. Heather and Josh was in for the ride of their life when God did not allow them to be parents in the traditional sense, but still parents no less. God blessed them with three children, two with Down Syndrome. God chose three special gifts for them Macyn, Truly, and August. They were the best gifts to Heather and Josh Avis. The Avis family story is such a refresh and moving story. Their story remind you to trust God. He will deliver on all of his promises and more. Heather and Josh allowed God to direct their path and it paid off three times over. Their three children needed them as much as Heather and Josh needed the children. It was just a beautiful story. Blessings over the Avis family.

If you're looking for one good reason to read The Lucky Few by Heather Avis, you don't have to look any further than the picture of her adorable family on the cover. And if you're not totally convinced by their cuteness, check out her Instagram (@macymakesmyday) and you'll be hooked for life. I thought that The Lucky Few would be a book mostly about adoption, but that's only partly true. It's a story about pain, loss, surrender and, ultimately, reward. I feel like reading it has changed me, and definitely the way I look at life.

Heather and Josh's story started out like so many other married couples, hoping and planning for a houseful of children. But their plans got derailed when they discovered they couldn't have children. They registered with a private agency, took all the classes and waited for their perfect baby to become available. Then a casual note from their social worker about a baby with Down Syndrome and a heart defect totally turned their lives around. It was a crazy idea, but Josh and Heather felt like God was calling them to something out of the ordinary. They said yes, and adopted sweet baby Macyn into their family. A few years later they adopted Truly through their county social services system. Then, they were approached by a young woman who asked them her to adopt her son when he was born. He, too, had been diagnosed with Down Syndrome and a heart defect. They adopted him when he was just a day old.

I admire people who adopt children. I think it's so noble and, quite honestly, brave to take in a child that someone else doesn't want, or can't care for. To take in children that have disabilities, or need long-term care, or serious medical procedures is something else altogether. It would take a very special family to take in those children. Heather doesn't gloss over the difficulties that they faced with the adoption process, struggles with children and even questions they asked God along the way. She was so open about it all. Heather writes in such a deeply personal way. My heart broke for her so many times as I read her story, but I also rejoiced so many times, too. I learned so many things, not just about the adoption process, but about the blessings God has for those who open their hearts to doing what He asks.

I don't know if I will ever adopt a child. I don't think it's something that every person is even called to do. But, the question this book leaves me asking is, "What if God asked me to do something I never imagined I could do?" It's hard for us to believe that God's best for us sometimes comes through pain and suffering. We want everything in life to be wonderful and beautiful, but in this book, Heather reminds us that God's plans are so much bigger than that. He waits for us off the beaten path, with blessings far greater than any we could ever imagine. It is the lucky few who allow Him to lead them there.

I have spent a lot of time lately contemplating thoughts along this same line. I want to have a deeper, more meaningful relationship with God, but He's showing me that I need to be willing to go outside of my comfort zone for that. I want to come the place where I accept His will, even if it's not what I would have wanted. Reading Josh and Heather's story has shown me that God's blessings are so much more than we can ever imagine if we are only willing to say yes to Him. As Heather puts it, "...when we finally allow God to gently push us toward the place where he's waiting to be discovered." It's true that not everyone is willing to find that place, because it is hard, and it's never perfect, and it's sometimes messy. But it's so much more than we could have found on our own. I really want to find what He has for me. I'm thankful that I read the story of such an inspirational family. I want to open my heart and my hands to finding God's best even in the unlikely places. I want to be one of the lucky few.




I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own, and a favorable review was not required.


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It was a great read into the look of a family who has had many struggles but taken lemons and made them into lemonade. As someone with a sister with Down Syndrome I felt that I could relate to them and their struggles.. I will be purchasing this book so my Mum can read it.