Five Steps From Eternity

Five Steps From Eternity is the story of a young woman's early departure to Heaven and a family's journey through grief. On April 13, 2022, Lanae took her last steps on Earth and her first steps into eternity. Lanae fell the height of four Calgary Towers. God graciously allowed Leanne, Lanae's mother, to overhear a conversation God had with her daughter as He carried her down a mountain. "Lanae, you could go back into your body. It will be hard, but I will be with you. Or you can come home with Me." She chose to go home. "So I told her, Okay. Let me show you how to fly."

I first met Leanne when she became part of my Broken to Beautiful—Transformed by God’s Power course. Shortly after the course finished Leanne contacted me to say her daughter had been killed in a backcountry ski accident. Months later Leanne invited me to help her write Lanae’s story.

Five Steps From Eternity is based on Leanne’s raw and emotional journal born out of deep, unimaginable grief. Leanne went from trusting God and being surrendered to His will to wanting an answer to that unanswerable question “Why?” Grief is such a distressing roller-coaster ride—trusting one moment, doubting the next, then trusting again. You will also read of the light of God’s love and compassion bringing comfort and hope to those in mourning.

Leanne and I spent days secluded in a beautiful cottage (thank you Diana) and worked on the book from morning to night. Helping write Five Steps From Eternity has been an honor—a special but also difficult assignment from God. It was heart-wrenching reading the journal with Leanne, asking for clarification on some of the entries, realizing this would re-open wounds—yet knowing God was comforting her heart.

This photo was taken moments before Lanae stepped into eternity. In the midst of this pain, God has brought a beacon of hope and light and joy to Leanne and her loved ones—a deeper trust in and longing for Him. They have been crushed but not forsaken.

It was a blessing to meet Leanne, John, Logan, Alicia, and Daniel, and to see Lanae’s life through their eyes. I know the prayers of God’s people have bathed them all in a peace that passes understanding. "....and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will no longer be death; there will no longer be sorrow and anguish, or crying, or pain; for the former order of things has passed away.”Revelation 21:4

Click here to see Leanne's video. https://vimeo.com/1027010120/9a68a02932

Click here to visit the Paetkaus' website.

Here's a link for the book Five Steps from Eternity: Lanae’s Death— A Family’s Journey Through Grief (Amazon)