Now Available!
Empty-Nest Joyride
Reignite Your Marriage, Rediscover Yourself,
and Embrace the Empty Nest with Joy!
Hope, Love, and Purpose
on the Road to Contentment
You’ve been parenting for years, and now face the sudden realization that this ride, and your role, are about to change. Like exiting a busy highway, you might look forward to a slower, gentler, and more relaxing pace. Or, perhaps the quiet path ahead fills you with uncertainty and the dread of emptiness.You’re about to embark on an unfamiliar journey. What lies around the bend is a mystery.
Meet
Linda Hanstra
Linda Hanstra has been around that bend and, in Empty-Nest Joyride, she shares a heartfelt collection of personal stories inspired by bike rides through the Midwest countryside. Ride along as she reflects on the challenges and blessings of this midlife stage with humor, warmth, and wisdom.
How Empty-Nest Joyride
will help you on your journey
Whether you’re approaching the empty nest or already in the midst of it, this book will encourage you to:
Reach for new opportunities in personal and spiritual growth
Ignite and rekindle the spark in your marriage
Dream of ambitions you put on hold during the parenting years
Engage in healthy, fulfilling relationships with your adult children
Hit the trail...
And discover how you can fill life’s next chapter with love, laughter, and unexpected joy!
Bonus Material
In addition to heartfelt stories and engaging encouragment, Empty-Nest Joyride includes the following special features:
Roadmap from Empty Nest to MIGHTY NEST - A guide to help you on your journey.
"Take Five!"- questions for reflection after each chapter that connect the author's story with yours. Perfect for couples or a small group discussion.
Access to a music playlist that includes songs mentioned in the book and many more. Nearly three hours of curated music that will spark love and a little romance!
What readers are saying...
Empty Nest Joyride is a warm, honest, and hope-filled memoir that beautifully parallels the biking journey with the emotional ride of marriage, parenting, and life after the kids leave home. With humor, vulnerability, and spiritual insight, Linda invites readers to embrace the bumps and find joy and purpose in every season. This is a must-read for anyone navigating the empty nest—or simply looking for encouragement on the trail of life.
-Cheryl Balcom, Author of "Winds of Grace: A Memoir"
Even though I’m not an empty nester in the traditional sense—my parenting continues in deep and meaningful ways as I walk alongside my autistic adult son—and even though I’m traveling this road as a widow, Linda’s reflections still spoke to me.Because Empty Nest Joyride isn’t just about children growing up or marriages shifting—it’s about holding joy and change together. About trusting God on uncertain roads. About the way life continues to invite us to rediscover purpose, even when the terrain isn’t what we expected.And that’s a message for all of us.
-Linda Cobourn, Author
trail notes
"On this empty-nest journey, we learned the comfort of familiarity, the joy of spontaneity, and the excitement of brand-new adventures."
For more empty-nest encouragement, hop on
"The Joyride"
Linda has been encouraging readers for more than ten years through stories of faith, family, empty nesting, cycling, travel, lake life, and more, on Substack and at LindaHanstra.com.Sign up below to receive her newsletter (2-4 times/month) and get stories, links, and other updates delivered right to your inbox!
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