Twenty years in the making, Patty LaRoche has written a book entitled: A Little Faith Lift…Finding Joy Beyond Rejection
LaRoche said for years, her friends have encouraged her to write her humorous stories about being rejected/humiliated.
“As it turned out, everybody I met had their own anecdotes of not measuring up, and some even shared that they wished they could go back to their teen/early-adult years and not give other people the power to make them feel demeaned or unvalued.,” LaRoche said. ” If they could do that, their lives would have been more confident, more real.”
“As a high school teacher, I observed my students’ insecurities on a daily basis, but when a group of my senior girls asked me to lead them in a Bible study, I realized just how pervasive these problems were,” she said. “Could anyone escape the lies of the enemy (Satan) that they weren’t good enough? Between my own life, my friends’ lives and my students’ lives, I had plenty of stories to share.”
An excerpt from her book:
“When Dave pitched for the California Angels in the late ’70s, a young outfielder was traded to the team. His wife and newborn soon arrived. I’ll call her Carol. Carol’s entrance into the wives’ waiting room following the opening day game was legendary. She was stunningly beautiful and trendy, dressing much more chic (is ‘chicer’ a word?) than the rest of the wives. After meeting her, I introduced her to the other wives and arranged to sit with her the following evening. We hit it off.”
“Returning home from the ballpark a few days later, Dave told me that Carol’s family needed a place to live while their newly purchased house was being renovated. I welcomed the addition. After all, Carol was special. Not only was she a head-turner, she was multi-talented. From singing to playing the piano to dancing to being a competitive tennis player to loving Jesus, Carol was the full package.
“Her giftedness was recognized by everyone.
“Except Carol.
“The evening of the first day she moved in was proof. While I waited with my infant son to leave for the ballpark, Carol descended the stairs looking like a movie goddess. A goddess starring in a tragedy. In her opinion, her striking outfit had struck out. Handing me her sleeping baby in his carry-seat, she returned upstairs to start over. A fuss that was repeated . . .
three times.
“With each new ensemble, I bolstered my compliments, but they were incapable of undoing whatever negatives had been given permission to determine her value. This scene was acted out daily, and with each tearful entry, Carol’s mascara-dripping makeup needed to be reapplied. Needless to say, we didn’t make it to the ballpark for the singing of the National Anthem. Instead, we made a grand entrance, with Carol being the recipient of ogles and admiration. Fans saw her beauty. Other wives did too. Her attempt at perfectionism was her attempt to mask tremendous insecurities. And even though, in her mind, she was never enough, she pretended well and fooled a lot of people.
Which, as we all know, is exhausting.”
About Patty Laroche
“I grew up in Fort Scott but moved to Washington, D.C. to become a flight attendant (then, “stewardess”) in my early 20’s,” she said. ” It was then I met my husband and entered his world of professional baseball (where I soon learned that there were plenty of incidents of ‘not measuring up’ I would add to my repertoire).”
“Dave had two young daughters from a previous marriage, and together we had three sons,” she said. “After moving over 35 times in 50 years of marriage, we recently sold our part-time condominium in Mexico and will be moving yet again.”
“My pastimes include hanging with family and friends, writing, playing tennis/pickleball and laughing. Most of all, I love spending time with Jesus, and I give him all the credit for this book.”
LaRoche has written a weekly Christian column for the Fort Scott Tribune, the Fort Scott Biz and the Nevada Daily Mail for several years.
Where to purchase her new book:
Her website: Alittlefaithlift.com
Or one can pre-order through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Books a Million, after June 25.
The publisher is Carpenter’s Son Publishing, the publishing date is July 25, 2023.
