Almost There: Searching for Home in a Life on the Move

Starred review. Military spouse DiFelice writes eloquently about the many difficulties and benefits of moving one’s home from place to place. DiFelice, a former marathon runner, draws frequently on an attitude of endurance and “pushing through the pain” to make the most of wherever she and her Marine husband are stationed. She shares how emotions can become more volatile at the most unexpected times and the ways her poignant memories of family, friends, and key life moments meld together with a sense of loneliness each time she reaches an unfamiliar city. DiFelice is particularly touching when she recalls the Sunday afternoon shopping excursions with her mother and sister that have become fewer and fewer due to how far apart they live. Instead of wallowing in her sorrow, DiFelice calls them every Sunday so she can join with them as they walk. For DiFelice, everyone who longs for a place to call home must make (and keep making) definitive, intentional decisions to create their own haven. This book will appeal broadly to those who have lived a wandering existence, and Christian readers in particular will appreciate DiFelice’s tangents on the lives of biblical characters, which round out this fascinating take on life’s unexpected twists and turns.

Almost There reads like a long-awaited letter from a long-lost friend. It’s immersive, as the best kind of storytelling should be. It’s honest and warm, as the best kinds of friends are. DiFelice writes about home as it’s lived and lost and loved. An impressively crafted, inherently appealing, consistently engaging, and compelling read from first page to last.

“Are we there yet?” No, not until you pick up this book and start reading. I expected to skim through these pages, on the way to somewhere else. I had to stop. And laugh. And savor. And wonder. This is a trip I hope many take, because Bekah DiFelice brilliantly shows us where to finally hang our hats—and our hearts.

Bekah DiFelice writes beautifully and profoundly about our longing for and journey toward a true sense of home. This book is for all who are yearning for a belonging deeper than this world can offer. When I read the middle sections of Almost There, I was at that time overwhelmed by a family crisis and was feeling desperate, orphaned, and lost. Bekah’s chapters on fear and on faith and doubt reached out to my brokenness . . . and I began to stumble back to my true home where my Abba was waiting with his secure love. Wherever you are in your pilgrimage, Almost There will meet you and embrace you, and it will provide intimate, heartfelt companionship for the rest of your journey.

If you’ve ever left something behind, you’ll find a friend in Bekah DiFelice as she invites you on a quest to find home. Bekah shares her adventures (and misadventures), helping us all discover that even transplanted roots can go deep.

Among the stories and thoughts that Bekah DiFelice shares in her debut book are her joyful passion and earnest quest to live life fully. Almost There is packed with so many relatable themes, including fear, longing, doubt, and identity. Bekah’s story will not only help you discover big and small pieces of your own story but will also encourage and inspire you to pursue your own new adventures, wherever you are. A beautiful storyteller whose heart for God and family shines, Bekah gives us all a gift of light and love in Almost There.

Our path to maturity in Christ is often accelerated when we find ourselves dealing with change that is thrust upon us rather than chosen. Through the lens of military life, and with animated style, young wife Bekah chronicles life on the move for herself and her husband, Mike. With her captivating take on the unexpected elements she found embedded in marriage, moving, injury, deployment, and pregnancy, Bekah enlists us to share in her inmost responses of faith. Her story is an enjoyable read that touches the deep places of faith many young women experience.