Blackbird: A Story of Hope and Healing In the Face of Personal Tragedy, co-authored by Mike Fecht and Sean Hanzelik, is a memoir, detailing Mike's rise from the depths of the emotional despair, pain, and agony in which he finds himself after the loss of his beautiful wife, Shani. Despite its tragic nature, Mike's story is one of healing, of hope, and of survival.
Blackbird is still a work in progress. The plan is to have it completed by the end of the year, and in the relatively near future, we hope to provide opportunities for you to read portions of the manuscript as it progresses, for you to purchase e-book versions of various parts, and for you, the reader, to help us by offering feedback, critique, and comments as the manuscript nears completion.
Mike's story, while tragic and heartbreaking, is amazingly inspirational. It seems to touch people wherever he shares it, while tapping into the part of the human condition where genuine compassion and love lie. At the heart of the story is Shani, Mike's beloved soul mate.
Shani was loved by so many. She was always jovial, buoyant, and passionate in everything she did or experienced. Her personality was magnetic, drawing people to her. She made them feel important and loved, and her story is inextricably woven into Mike's.
At the age of twenty-one, Shani lost her mother in an eerily similar manner to how she herself would be taken nineteen years later--brutal murder. Her mother was gunned down in the workshop behind her childhood home by her father, and Shani spent the remainder of her life attempting to overcome the emotional and psychological effects of her mother's death.
Shani's struggles during her life spoke directly to Mike immediately following her murder. The lessons he learned through watching her cope became invaluable after her passing. Without Shani's guidance during their ten years together, Mike believes he never could have survived such an earth-shattering tragedy.
From the moment he heard the Sandy Springs Police Detective utter the words that would forever change his life...
"No, I'm sorry. She's dead."
...Mike's life became a whirlwind of chaos and emotion. He lost everything in that moment--his best friend, his soul mate, his wife, his job, his home, his sanity--but it was also in that moment that he learned about truth, submission, and surrender.
As you read this blog, you will learn bits and pieces of Mike's story, you will learn how Shani taught him about healing during their ten years of life together here on this Earth, and you will also see how their deep spiritual connection paved the way for Shani to continue teaching him even after her death.
Blackbird will touch you on every level. It will tap into every emotion. You will feel anger and rage over the injustice Shani suffered. You will experience the same fears and pain in which Mike now lives. You will cry tears of suffering as Mike describes his longing and loneliness, and you will cry tears of joy as you witness his rise into hope and healing.
Blackbird is more than a book, more than a story; it is a journey, one that proves that even in the face of the most heinous tragedy imaginable, one can find restoration and hope, one can find love and peace, and one can find grace and mercy.
