Birthing Purpose

There are moments in life when grief, loss, and unimaginable opposition threaten t o break us. When dreams are falling apart, when loss strikes without warning, and when life feels unbearably heavy, it's easy to lose sight of who we a r e beyond the pain. In Birthing Purpose, EricaLynn "EL" Cotton invites readers into her personal journey of healing after devastating loss. Through her own experiences of love, marriage, pregnancy, and widowhood, she reveals how every heartbreak led her t o deeper faith, a n d t o discovering a purpose greater than her pain. As a nurse, hairstylist, church leader, and wife t o her high school sweetheart, Chris Cotton, EL had built a beautiful life grounded in love and her faith. But her world was forever changed when she tragically lost her husband while pregnant with their first child, just months before a global pandemic. Surrounded by the support of family and loved ones, EL chose to trust God more than ever, which led her to find strength she didn't know she had. Her journey gave birth to her beloved daughter, affectionately nicknamed Blue, and Beauty Over Ashes, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting young widowed women. In this memoir, EL shares her story with vulnerability and unwavering hope, reminding us all that even in our darkest moments, God is still writing a greater story.