I first encountered Missy Robertson on the TV series “Duck Dynasty,” and though I never caught the show on a regular basis, each time I stumbled across it I ended up laughing at the antics of the Robertson clan while admiring their work ethic and openness about their religious faith. I was particularly curious about the Robertson women. As matriarch Miss Kay once remarked, “It’s always something when you’re married to a Robertson.” I could well imagine that—but what was it really like to be married to one of those bearded, camo-clad, duck-hunting boys?

Consequently, after enjoying the very different but equally entertaining tales in patriarch Phil’s Happy, Happy, Happy and Uncle Si’s riotous Si-Cology 1 , I thought it was time to hear from the female side.

Blessed, Blessed . . . Blessed: The Untold Story of Our Family’s Fight to Love Hard, Stay Strong, and Keep the Faith When Life Can’t Be Fixed follows Missy’s story from sheltered, structured girlhood to her introduction into the our-door-is-always-open Robertson clan and sometimes arduous road to and through parenthood. Missy and her husband Jase have three children: sons Reed and Cole, and daughter Mia, who was born with a cleft lip and palate, a condition presenting far more ongoing challenges than I would have imagined. As Missy says in the Introduction:

“. . . Jase and I have endured more sadness and difficulty than many people realize. Through every circumstance, we have leaned on our faith, and we have found God to be completely trustworthy and faithful. We know what it’s like to hear bad news. We know how it feels to pray that God will do one thing in a situation, only to realize He has done something else. We know how easily each member of a family can be thrown off balance by one person’s challenges, and we are well acquainted with the financial strain of a major medical situation.”

Here’s part of what I wrote to Missy.

I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes glimpses into the Robertson family values, duck call business, and unique demands your husband’s profession occasionally presents to a marriage. As your story progressed, your openness, vulnerability, and gift for vivid description took me into clinics and hospital rooms and classrooms with you and Jase and Mia. I felt your fears and your anger, your moments of denial and despair as deeply as the warmth of loving support from your extended and church families. From first page to last, your family’s dedication to hard work, fiscal responsibility, good parenting, and daily, sometimes hourly choices to trust God, at times nearly awed me. It is easy to feel as if we know a family from the tiny glimpse we get of their lives on a screen in our living room, when of course the off-screen reality is so much more complex and messy. Thank you for taking us into your world and giving us a glimpse at what it truly means to be “blessed.”

Do yourself a favor and check out the engaging voice of Missy Robertson . . . then don’t be surprised if you find yourself “blessed” as well.