Just Dandy

Sandra Swenson’s life was perfect–until addiction, divorce, and caregiving for aging parents turned her world upside down.  Now facing her “golden years” alone and establishing a career at 60, she reflects back on how the heartaches, though painful, cultivated a courage and resiliency she didn’t realize she had and which ultimately led her to a path of healing. Her inspiring story shows that no matter what comes your way, you can grow through pain and heartache and create a life that is “just dandy.” 

In Just Dandy: Living with Heartache and Wishes, Sandra Swenson shows us how she does it. There is no past tense. Not one of us gets to live as if everything will stay resolved, settled, or handled, because there’s always something around the proverbial corner. But we can heal and we can learn how to respond so that we can live with anything that comes our way. We can live with both heartache and wishes. 

Sandra's path of healing began in The Joey Song: A Mother’s Story of Her Son’s Addiction which led to her own recovery in Tending Dandelions: Honest Meditations for Mothers with Addicted Children. Here, she shares how what she’s learned about herself has given her the strength and determination she’s needed as crises continue to unravel her family and her world in unexpected ways. Even in times of heartache, she shows us how there is always the potential for growth when we can accept what is, rather than getting stuck in what it could be or should have been. We can hold the positive and negative at the same time, and still move forward. 

An established voice for women who are suffering, Sandra is a source of support and comfort, putting into words what so many feel and helping us to move forward. Whether we share her path or have our own, we can—and will—be just dandy.