In An Instant

I finished reading In An Instant by Lee and Bob Woodruff this week and want to recommend it. As you probably know, Bob Woodruff was hit by an IED in Iraq while on an embed mission in January of 2006. He took shrapnel to the brain and should have died but he didn't and in fact has made an amazing recovery. There were several reasons that I wanted to read this book. First, Trevor was hit by an IED during his first tour in Iraq and brain injuries from explosions are the signature wound of the Iraq War and I wanted to find out more. Second, I studied journalism in college and was curious about Bob Woodruff's perspective on the war. Well as it turns out so often in life my original intentions have nothing to do with why I was so touched by the book. The book is the story of the family's experience with Bob's injury and recovery and there is a lot of back story weaved in that give you a great look into their lives. The book is mostly written by Lee Woodruff, who I now have extraordinary admiration for. She is a talented, driven woman who balanced career and motherhood for several years before becoming a "full-time mother" after the birth of her twin girls. Lee is completely candid in the book about her relationship with Bob and is honest about herself. She isn't afraid to say how she felt during those hard moments even if it may be embarrassing or make her look bad. I honestly think more than anything it is a great book about love, marriage, and the power of family but not in a sugar-coated sort of way. It is raw and honest.

In the acknowledgements at the end of the book Lee writes:

"Last, we want to thank our children, who will be more loving, more empathetic,
more wonderful human beings than they already are for having taken this
unexpected journey together, as a family. May you always remember that there are
no perfect parents, just mothers and fathers doing the very best they can. And
there are no perfect spouses either, just those who love each other enough to
stand by 'for better or worse.' Don't be fooled: that kind of endurance is,
perhaps, the greatest expression of love."

I love that quote because it really describes the essence of Lee's outlook on life which is evident through many of the stories that she shares in the book.