Madi Taylor never planned to be an author, but when her friends, Grant and Mary Drayton Godbee, died in a tragic accident, her grief led her to write a story of hope.
Taylor and her husband, Ian, were high school sweethearts and Grant Godbee was Ian’s best friend. Mary-Drayton Godbee joined the fold in college and the group became inseparable.
“When Ian and I got married in November 2018, we only invited 20 people — Grant and Mary-Drayton were two of those invites,” said Taylor. “They got married the following November and we had houses just five minutes from one another in Buford.”
The couples were best friends and hung out multiple times a week. They both attended Gwinnett Church in Sugar Hill and were part of FRVR FREE, an event-based worship ministry that performs across the country.
On Oct. 29, 2020, the Taylors woke to the news that their best friends had been killed overnight. An armband of Hurricane Zeta had swept through the state and caused a tree to fall on the Godbees’ home.
“We were shocked and heartbroken,” said Taylor, 27. “We clung close to our friends at church and at FRVR FREE, those who knew the Godbees and were hurting, too. We received so much support from our community and we leaned on them. We also leaned on Grant and Mary Drayton, reminding one another of all they taught us.”
Taylor said the Godbees were kind and pure-hearted, the kind of people others are drawn to. They taught Taylor how to love people and to be unapologetically herself.
A couple months after her friends died, Taylor was journaling, as she often does. She was thinking about the Godbees, specifically of how it breaks her heart that one of their greatest dreams will never be realized. The couples couldn’t wait to experience parenthood together. They often spoke of the dads coaching side-by-side, big family dinners, and watching their babies become best friends, just like their parents.
“It hurts that our future children won’t meet the most influential people we’ve ever known, people who would have been their godparents,” said Taylor.
As Taylor journaled, a story began to fill her pages. A tale of King Griff and Queen Marie, who find out their best friends passed away. It’s a children’s story about hope after loss.
“We were sitting in our living room one day when Madi said, ‘I think I wrote a children’s book,’” said Ian Taylor, 26. “There had been no prior conversation about her wanting to be an author or anything, so I was surprised. She shared her first draft, and it destroyed me. It was so beautiful.”
After tweaking the story for a few weeks, then considering her options a while longer, Madi Taylor decided to self-publish the book. She met an illustrator, Annie Hight, who was in the same program as Mary Drayton Godbee at the University of Georgia. Hight created a colorful pride of lions to depict the characters. The book, titled “All That We Need,” was published in mid-November.
“I’m so proud of Madi,” said Ian Taylor. “I’ve had a front row seat along the journey, and I’ve loved it. I’m a musician, someone who creates, and Madi always supports me. It was an honor and a blessing to support her for something she created.’
Madi Taylor is humble about the accomplishment, and credits God for leading her to this story.
“This book came from a place of wanting to share the spirit of our best friends with our future family and wanting to give Grant and Mary Drayton’s nieces and nephews, who they were so close with, a tool to process their grief and remember their aunt and uncle,” said Madi Taylor.
A book release party was held at the 1051 Baxter building in Athens, a space purchased by the 501 Exchange, the non-profit branch of FRVR FREE. The ministry hosts free monthly worship gatherings for people in Athens. Mary Drayton Godbee had designed the logos for the 501 Exchange right before she died. The building was dedicated to their memory, which made it the perfect setting to launch Madi Taylor’s book.
“We and all of Grant and Mary-Drayton’s friends have made a vow,” said Madi Taylor. “For the rest of our lives, we will continue to find ways to honor our friends.”
“All That We Need” is available for purchase on Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com
About the Author
