WhenCarrie Underwoodbelts out her moving hit song “Cry Pretty,” the emotion is all too real.
The resilient country superstar, 36, sits atop PEOPLE’s list of 100 Reasons to Love America in this week’s issue, and is the first to admit she’s been on a personal rollercoaster over the past two years — one that’s only made her stronger.
“I put a lot of stress on myself — I feel like a lot of moms do, a lot of women do,” she says. But like the message in her go-to hit “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” she insists, “the best moments in my life are when I say, ‘Hey, I can’t control everything, and that’s okay. God is in control.'”
Carrie Underwood on the cover of PEOPLE.Randee St. Nicholas
For years the star’s life story has read like a fairytale. At 22 her childhood dream of becoming a country singer came true when she wowed the country and won big on season four ofAmerican Idol. She went on to huge success — just as judgeSimon Cowellhad predicted — and a few years later met the man of her dreams in hockey starMike Fisher, whom she married in 2010.
While out walking her dogs in late 2017, Underwood took anasty falloutside her family’s Nashville home. The incident left her with a broken wrist and a facial laceration requiring40 to 50 stitches.
Carrie Underwood.Randee St. Nicholas
While she bounced back following extensivereconstructive surgery, she was also experiencing another form of pain. Last September, she revealed that she’d suffered throughthree miscarriagesin less than two years. Despite knowing better, she says, “Of course you wonder if it’s you, what am I doing wrong, or what have I done wrong. I remember having conversations with Mike trying to make sense of it all.”
A devout Christian, Underwood says it was a heart-to-heart talk with God that came next. “I’ve always wanted to be a good daughter to my parents but also to God and not complain, because we are beyond blessed,” she says. “I get to do what I love, I have an incredible family. I have Mike, I have Isaiah, I have great parents. I have all of these amazing people around me, and I don’t want to complain, ever.”
Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher.David Livingston/Getty
She continues, “But the miscarriages made me get real with God and say, ‘Okay, I’m kind of giving up a little bit. If this isn’t meant to happen, then I need to accept that and know that someday I’ll understand why.'”
It wasn’t long after that the star says theyreceived good news. “We heard that everything was okay and I was pregnant with Jacob,” she says. “He’s just this perfect little bundle of a smiley guy.”
Carrie Underwood/ Instagram
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Carrie Underwood.Andrew Wendowski for imageSPACE/MediaPunch
Balancing a booming career and a growing family is a lot to handle, but Underwood says she’s up for the challenge now more than ever.
“There is a thing about motherhood that makes you feel like, ‘Okay, if I can do that, I can do anything,'” she says. “And I feel like I’m a little older, a little wiser. This isn’t my first rodeo.”
For more onCarrie Underwood’s emotional journey and 99 other great reasons to love America — which span everything from the Grand Canyon to Shark Week toMichelle Obama’s bestselling memoir — pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.
source: people.com
