By Deirdre Parker Smith

deirdre.smith@salisburypost.com

Julie Kemp will be at Literary Bookpost, 110 S. Main St, on Saturday, July 25, from 2-4 p.m.

She writes an extremely personal memoir, “Faith Has Its Reasons” of losing her first husband and nearly losing her son in an accident in which she is also seriously injured.

Landon, then 8, “dies” three times and is brought back to life by medical staff. Landon tells her he went to heaven three times, and saw his father there, and in his ICU room.

Julie, seriously injured, is completely overwhelmed by what has happened. She has a hard time understanding at first, but her worst fears are calmed by knowing her husband is at peace in heaven.

Landon has an extremely long, hard road to recovery, having to relearn all of the skills he lost due to injuries. Julie’s recovery is not only physical, but mental and emotional.

Throughout, she relies on her faith to cross the next hurdle and the next.

Her late husband’s family plans a funeral before Julie is released from the hospital, but she checks herself out and attends, feeling like a zombie. Her next task is to be with her son constantly, to pray and will him to live.

She has questions for God that have no answers, and she’s angry. Faith eventually pulls her through.

Landon does survive, as does Julie, and they learn to live and love again.

Landon will accompany Julie to her book signing to answer questions about his experiences.

The book is published by Tate Publishing. Kemp and her family live in Waxhaw, where she works with her second husband, as well as helping to  facilitate grief groups.