Friends of the Library Dinner: The Real Full House

The Friends of the Library spring dinner will feature Raleigh’s Bruce Ham, author of Laughter, Tears and Braids: A father’s journey through losing his wife to cancer. This true story is intimate, disarmingly humorous, sincere and profound.

Bruce Ham lost his wife, Lisa, to colon cancer in February 2010 after a six month battle with the disease. His storybook life in shatters, he had little time to mourn.  The responsibilities of raising three daughters, ages 7, 9, and 12 at the time, simply wouldn’t permit it.  Soon after their mother died, the girls started watching the TV show Full House. Bruce said, “The show gave us hope and made us realize that a family could … put things back together and bring joy and happiness back into a tough, tough situation.” The theme of Bruce’s talk will be the “the real Full House, moving on one day at a time.”

As the family navigated this difficult time, Bruce contemplated a way to give Lisa’s life meaning and purpose while preserving his daughter’s connection with their mother. The result is his book Laughter, Tears and Braids. Bruce’s book poignantly reveals the epic struggle of a husband and wife raising their daughters even with the darkness of death dominating their lives.  While this is a true story of pain and sorrow, both could not blemish the devotion of a husband, the loyalty of a mother, and the hope of the next generation.

We not only encourage you to come, but to bring a friend or friends, and become inspired by Bruce’s resilience and his family’s journey. The dinner will be held on March 22 at 6:30 p.m. in Belk Dining Hall. Bruce will speak after the meal. Hors d’oeuvres service starts at 6 p.m.

To read more about him and his family’s experiences you can explore Bruce’s blog, The Real Full House. Reservations and payments online can be made on the Friends of the Library website. You can also call (919) 760-8531 for reservations.

–Submitted by Amanda Sullivan, Research and Instruction Librarian