Laughter and tears are only a moment apart, but joy is eternal.

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More About Maribeth Ditmars

Maribeth Ditmars is a speaker and author whose riveting life story includes her own battle with alcoholism and the loss of two children, one to cancer and the other to accidental death. Maribeth will have you laughing, crying, and celebrating Jesus as your faith is inspired, your heart is comforted and your courage is edified.  

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I am Maribeth Ditmars, a follower of Jesus Christ,speaker, author, and blogger. I am also a mom and grandmom. My writing journey began years ago when our 10-year old son, Chris, was diagnosed with leukemia and I began keeping a detailed journal.  This eventually became my first book. Christopher's Journey, a remarkable Young Man's Struggle with Leukemia. The book won an Iuniverse Star Award. I also began speaking at cancer fundraisers and nonprofit events. When Chris lost his battle with cancer at the age of 14, I had a crisis of faith, and I descended into alcoholism for several years. I sometimes tell people that I used to worship the goddess of distilled spirits.

But Chris's death-bed testimony stuck with me. As he lay dying of leukemia, Chris witnessed to my husband, Rob, and to me in a powerful and peaceful way. He said, “Mom, and Dad, Jesus is coming for me and I’m ready.” He even joked about how he wouldn’t need his schoolbooks anymore. His surrender and acceptance did not come from anything that we had taught him. It was a divine gift from The Holy Spirit. Chris inspired me to get sober and surrender to Jesus Christ.

A few years later, I published a book for Children with Cancer, The Bald-Headed Princess, Cancer, Chemo, and Courage. This middle-reader chapter book was selected to be an Accelerated Reader book and it is in a test data-base used by schools all over the country.

 For a number of years, I continued to divide my time between teaching fourth grade, writing, and speaking. Rob and I also were raising our 2 other children. In the meantime, I became active in my church teaching a children's Bible class and attending recovery meetings in my community.

We also struggled with the drug addiction of our daughter. We took custody of our granddaughter for 4 years while Erin got better. I became a marathon prayer warrior! I also wrote a lot of blogs about addiction from a Christian perspective. Today, by the grace of God, Erin is sober and doing well.

In 2015, our world was shattered once again when our 21-year-old, Jarrod, was killed suddenly in an accident. Jarrod had always been a strong-willed child and had rebelled for a while. But we were able to witness his salvation as well as a major transformation in his heart before his passing. One of the last things he did was to hold a cookout for the homeless in our community.

My most recent book is called, Dancing in the Minefields, One Woman's Faith Journey through Child-Loss, Addiction, and Adversity. It is my deepest desire to use this book to offer hope to others who struggle with loss, addiction, or adversity. I also hope that my story will be attractive to non-believers who wrestle with questions about where God is in this troubled world. This is my first faith-based book, and it is full of scriptures that speak directly to these struggles.

I have retired from full-time classroom teaching and I am currently building my Christian speaking ministry. I have been blessed to have the opportunity to share my message with Christian audiences at conferences, retreats, workshops, and women's events.

My purpose is to remind others that laughter and tears are only a moment apart, but joy is eternal.

Psalm 16:11 ESV  

"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."