Sam and Me & the Hard Pear Tree

Jami Yeats-Kastner’s story is both a personal account of a mother’s ultimate loss and a universal message of growth and hope. It is centered on the loss of her young son, Sam, and the deeply spiritual path that she subsequently sets out on. Sam and Me & the Hard Pear Tree is very sad but not depressing; rather it describes a trek of hope and self-learning. Sam’s death forces Jami to confront other personal truths about herself, her life, and Sam’s older, special needs brother, Jack. Jami shares her journey with searing honesty and a wry sense of humor, and as she finds her way back into the light, it becomes less about grief and more about self-discovery, synchronicity, and following the signs that are everywhere. If this story has a message, it is that finding your own true path is the only way to personal self-fulfillment and that it is only when we are ourselves fulfilled that we can be of proper service to others. Initially an unwilling seeker, Jami eventually discovers these truths, and in doing so she draws on all her available strength and inspirational new insights to continue building a happy future for herself and her family.