Lemons on Friday

Trusting God Through My Greatest Heartbreak

By: Mattie Jackson Selecman

Narrated by: Mattie Selecman

When your life is suddenly full of questions, how do you move forward in faith?

After being married for less than a year, country music legend Alan Jackson's daughter Mattie was faced with navigating a future that didn't include her young husband and the life they dreamed of together.

Ben Selecman passed away twelve days after suffering a traumatic brain injury--and three weeks before celebrating his first anniversary with his wife. Suddenly, twenty-eight-year-old Mattie had to find a way to reconcile herself with a good God, even when He did not give her the healing miracle she prayed for.

In Lemons on Friday, Mattie Jackson Selecman invites you to walk with her during the first years of grief following Ben's tragic death as she grapples with her loss and leans on a steadfast God.

Mattie wrestles with questions that we've all faced in the midst of grief and loss, including:

• How did I get here?
• Will this always hurt?
• Who am I now?
• Where can I find the strength to keep going?

Lemons on Friday will give you the encouragement you need to see life and love in a brand new light, no matter what you're facing.

Praise for Lemons on Friday:

"Mattie's story carries you through a valley of unbearable heartbreak, and in the very next moment, you are experiencing an ocean of peace that is the heartbeat of Jesus. Her honesty and vulnerability in this book are a beacon of light to any heart that has experienced total darkness. The courage and wisdom expressed through her words will inspire hope in readers, no matter their walk of life."

—Lauren Akins, New York Times bestselling author of Live in Love

Critic reviews

'Lemons on Friday is a beautiful and raw depiction of what grief can look like and a hopeful testament to how God can take life's most painful situations and weave them into an incredible masterpiece. Mattie is a wonderfully gifted writer and storyteller whose ability to capture the rollercoaster of loss and faith in God's promises is unparalleled.' --Shannon Frazier, MMFT (marriage and family therapist)

'An honest and vulnerable peek into the healing spaces between love, grief, hope, growth, and true restoration. Attainable by all, through God's mercy and grace, especially for the 258 million widows globally we are called to care for in their distress. This is an answer to that divine call.' --Carolyn Moor, founder, Modern Widows Club

'Mattie's story carries you through a valley of unbearable heartbreak, and in the very next moment you are experiencing an ocean of peace that is the heartbeat of Jesus. Her honesty and vulnerability in this book are a beacon of light to any heart that has experienced total darkness. The courage and wisdom expressed through her words will inspire hope in readers, no matter their walk of life.' --Lauren Akins, author of the New York Times bestseller Live in Love: Growing Together Through Life's Changes

'No matter what the format--songs, books, and so on--writing allows us to share experiences with and enter into the lives of people we may never meet face to face. For all those who pick up this book, they are welcomed into Mattie's personal story of heartbreak and are reminded in the midst of their own pain: you are not alone, and hope is never really out of reach.' --Lee Ann Womack, Grammy-winning, ACM-winning, and CMA-winning recording artist

'The most honest, vulnerable, and completely beautiful look inside loss and grief. Mattie's courage to share her intimate thoughts on love, death, grief, and her unending faith will be a gift to those who have loved and those who grieve. Only someone who has suffered through the death of a loved one can write from this place. Lemons on Friday is a lifeline for those who have suffered loss and those who seek to find joy in life again.' --Liz Allison, NASCAR analyst, author, and radio host

'There is a sisterhood among all of us who have been widowed at far too young of an age. That's where our story intersected with Mattie's. She's wonderful, witty, and wise beyond her years. In Lemons on Friday she takes us all on a journey that is less about making lemonade out of lemons and more about looking to faith for transformational healing. Her story of loss, with hope, reminds us that partnering with Christ can turn the bitter sorrows of life into something far sweeter than we could ever accomplish on our own.' --Rachel Brown and Ginger Ravella, founders, Be Still Ministries and Never Alone Widows Retreats

Such an impactful book

I would like to start by thanking Mattie for sharing such an intimate part of her life!
This book was tremendous and so well written. I loved each theme and title of each chapter. I have been talking to so many friends and family about the thoughts and ideas of this book it truly touched and inspired me.
Highly recommend if going through a tough time or even want to be infused with some extra faith, this book is for you!

Tears of hope

Although no actual connection to Mattie, I’ve always felt connected to this story as my husband and I also married on 10/7/17 at our home in Pegram (near Nashville). Listening to her story in her own voice brought so many tears. Such a message of hope in the dark. I’ve thought of her so many times as I’ve taken my own journey through marriage and motherhood on what would have been her timeline as well. I’m so thrilled she’s now experiencing all the joys of motherhood and love again. 🩷

Her love of Ben

I liked it very much. Her dedication to her wonderful husband Ben. Very touching book.

Phenomenal book

Though I've never lost a spouse, I've lost lost my dad, mom and my brother. All the little signs that she saw along the way and things she experienced, I can relate to. Being at the bedside of a loved one who is passing, Her descriptions and feelings were so on key.
Of course they would be, they're Her story. It was well narrated and I highly recommend it. I just purchased 2 of the hard cover books for a couple friends of mine. Blessings.

Thank you

I lost my father And my oldest sister within 6 months of each other! I wasn’t coping well! I would go through my day to day motions as a home health nurse. I would pray and ask questions without answers! Now I’m seeing the God nods and realize exactly as you say and our father in heaven say Thy will be done, there is no because at the end. Thank you for helping me see that I was asking in the wrong way! I will put my arms around my wonderful daddy and my sister again! God Bless.