title: Anchor and Flares: A Memoir of Motherhood, Hope, and Service
author: Kate Braestrup
description: "Kate Braestrup is funny, reflective, and--above all--honest. In <em>Anchor and Flares</em>, she has proven, once again, that she is a writer upon whom nothing is lost, even when her mind is reeling."<b><i>Phyllis Theroux, author of <em>Night Lights: Bedtime Stories for Parents in the Dark</em></b></i><br /><br />"Kate Braestrup is at the very top of her game with <i>Anchor and Flares</i>. She's working to understand the very heart of parenthood--the weave of attachments that make it almost impossible to do what we know we must: let go."<br><b><i>Kelly Corrigan, author of<em> Glitter and Glue</em> and<em> The Middle Place</em></b></i><br /><br />"Reading <i>Anchor and Flares</i> is like having a fiercely compassionate and comically no-nonsense best friend meandering with you through meditations on faith, war, death, and parenting. <i>Why? Why? Why?</i> Braestrup asks a million times, in a million different ways. Sometimes the answer is courage or grief or hope. But usually it's love."<br><b><i>Catherine Newsman, author o<b>f </b><em>Waiting for Birdy</em></b></i><br /><br /><strong></strong>"Sensitive and wholesomely charming, the book is refreshingly free of preachy proselytization and instead addresses the bittersweetness of parenthood and perennial nurturing. Braestrup delivers another appealing, tenderhearted memoir braiding faith and family."<br><b><i><em>Kirkus</em></b></i><br /><br />"Braestrup cuts an intriguing figure in her warm, thoughtful chronicle of her time in the trenches as a parent and on the job. Braestrup's compassion, grace, and wisdom come through loud and clear."<b><i><em>Publishers Weekly</em> (starred review)</b></i>
zlib_text: Kate Fortune’s Journal Entry
  I can no longer bear to stay silent. My family is crumbling, and Jake needs my support. I believe
  all the plots to destroy the Fortunes have been unearthed. Now we must unite and stand proud
  against our enemies. It’s not easy being rich and powerful, always in the spotlight. Everyone wants
  a piece of you. But I know that together we can triumph over any adversity. I know justice will
  prevail and Jake’s innocence will be proven. Then we can get back to what really matters—love
  and family.
  
  A LETTER FROM THE AUTHOR
  Dear Reader,
  I have always been a firm believer in family and family ties. The idea of big family gatherings has
  always filled me with a warm, nostalgic feeling. And year after year, I still manage to get choked up
  at those greeting-card commercials. You know, the ones where siblings and children overcome great
  obstacles to walk into a house and a warm hug just in time for the holidays. They never fail to make
  me misty.
  For the longest time, my own