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Editors Note: As we anticipate the wonders of Christmas during
this season of Advent, and treasure time with our precious families, I hope
that you will enjoy sharing
Angel in the Waterswith your loved ones. The story and
illustrations that fill this book are works of art just like the journey of
life they share! I know that this will be a treasured part of your
family's library for years to come. Lisa
About the Book
In its mother’s womb, a tiny baby grows,
explores the waters, and talks with the angel who is there. These
gentle illustrations and wise words tell the story of that baby and the
angel in the waters . . . a story that will delight all young children, and
adults as well, because the journey from conception to birth is their story,
too.
Regina Doman is the author of several books for young adults. Ben Hatke is
an artist and illustrator who lives and works in Virginia.
Sometimes God's greatest gifts are
unrecognized. Such was the case with Nancy Jo Sullivan, an expecting mother
who received the unexpected: a Down syndrome child. Open to God's plan, and
filled with love for her child, Nancy Jo came to realize that her daughter
Sarah was "a sacred surprise disguised as a handicapped baby."
A Note to Our Readers from Author Nancy
Jo Sullivan:
Dear Catholic Mom Readers,
Nineteen years ago, our first child, "Sarah" was born with Downs Syndrome.
As a new mother, I wondered how I could possibly parent a child with so many
limitations. I felt grief as I mourned the loss of a "healthy" child. I was
scared about the future. And, I was angry at God. I kept asking him: WHY OUR
FAMILY? WHY OUR CHILD?
But gradually, as the early months of Sarah's life passed, something amazing
happened. I began to realize that my daughter was a gift from heaven.
As an infant, Sarah always smiled. Always. During her toddler years, she
seemed to defy her disability as she slowly learned to walk and talk and
sing. Throughout her teenage years, Sarah has continued to inspire me with
her unconditional love, zest for life and her unique insights into faith,
hope and love.
Now that Sarah is almost 20 years old, I find myself reflecting back on the
years. Indeed, Sarah has brought has brought spiritual transformation to my
life. She has taught me to face my own disabilities, my deepest fears, my
hidden insecurities, even my lack of trust. She has shown me that God's
presence often shows up in "weakness" and that small miracles happen each
day.
I am honored that CATHOLICMOM.COM has invited me to share the spiritual
lessons I have learned from Sarah. In my newest book,
What I've Learned from My Daughter, you will
discover that I have chronicled these lessons into a simple, easy to read
story, told from a mothers perspective.
As you read this book, I will pray that Sarah's insights will enrich your
life, enhance your faith and affirm your own unique call to motherhood.
Blessings,
Nancy Jo Sullivan
CatholicMom.com Review:
Nancy Jo Sullivan probably never dreamed
that one day she'd "grow up" to write this book - sometimes life brings
unexpected twists and turns that we can never imagine. In this wonderful
book, Nancy Jo shares her experiences as a mom of three beautiful daughters,
one of whom was born with Down syndrome. It's easy to fall in love with
Sarah, "God's Princess", who succeeds in teaching us all many lessons in
this book.
This is not just a book for parents of children with disabilities. It is a
book for all of us, looking to count our blessings, love unconditionally,
and never take the everyday treasures of life for granted. Nancy Jo ends
each chapter of this book with a set of "ponderings", which will prompt you
to ask yourself a few questions, consider a few new ideas and learn some
valuable lessons from Sarah. Gift yourself the gift of this book and you
will find yourself with a new, uplifted perspective on life.
About the Author:
Nancy Jo Sullivan is an established Catholic author with articles
published in Reader’s Digest, Guidepost’s, Catholic Digest and Chicken Soup
for the Soul. She is also the author of five books, including her newest
release;
What I've Learned from My Daughter. Nancy Jo’s newest book,
published by Liguori Press, highlights the authors experience of parenting a
child with Down’s Syndrome.
While Nancy Jo is a committed Catholic, her story-driven style has been
recognized by a variety of ecumenically focused organizations including The
Billy Graham Association, Focus on the Family and The Catholic Press
association. This past September (2004), The American Council of Catholic
Women selected Nancy Jo’s book,
What I've Learned from My Daughter for their
National Book Club feature.
The mother of three teenage daughters, Nancy Jo’s writings often reflect
themes of family, friendship and faith. Her work encourages readers to look
for God in the ordinary faces and places that define their everyday lives.
Motherhood and home schooling had
overwhelmed her. The house was dirty, the laundry undone. Holly felt
frustrated, discouraged, and alone. She couldn't find time to snuggle and
have fun with her five children or to go out with her husband. Yes, she
loved Philip and she did love God, but she had come to resent Philip's
freedom and she almost never found time for prayer. Today, everything's better.
Holly still home schools, but the house is cleaner, she gets more done, and
the kids are happier. There's less stress, less strife, and less housework. Holly's been healed of past wounds that troubled her soul and her marriage.
Best of all, she spends at least an hour each day in prayer and time each
evening with Philip.
Holly brought about these changes with what she calls her Mother's Rule of
Life, a pattern for living that combines the spiritual wisdom of the
monastery with the practical wisdom of motherhood.
Holly's
Rule is not just another set of schedules; it's a way for Christian
mothers to answer God's call to holiness.
With the help of your own
Rule, you can get control of your own household, grow closer to God,
come to love your husband more, and raise up good Christian children. In
these wise and practical pages, Holly shows you how.
Do you want to be a better wife and mother? To have more order in your life?
To grow in union with God? Are you desperate yet?
With your own
Mother's Rule of Life, you'll transform motherhood and its burdens
into the joyful vocation it's meant to be. Learn from Holly Pierlot how to
craft a Rule that's right for you and your family. Then use that
Rule to help God draw you, your husband, and each of your children
into Heaven!
About the Author:
Holly Pierlot is a popular speaker at catechetics and marriage
programs and home schooling conferences. She lives on Prince Edward Island,
Canada, with her husband, Philip, and home schools her five children.
Wandering into a forgotten downtown Cleveland church for a
Christmas mass, Kristin Ohlson discovered the Poor Clares -- a tiny,
threadbare congregation of cloistered elderly nuns with one mission: to pray
day and night (literally 24 hours a day, 7 days a week) for the sorrows of
the world. Ohlson -- utterly enchanted by these devoted women -- started to
attend church for the first time in many years. So began her three-year
dialogue with the Poor Clares, a dialogue that afforded Ohlson a
fascinating, unprecedented glimpse into the intensely private nuns and their
life in the cloister. Why, she wonders, have these women retreated from the
world to joyfully devote themselves to perpetual adoration? How do they
sustain their faith? And what, ultimately, is faith? As Ohlson -- a
long-time skeptic -- opens up to the Poor Clares, she opens herself to the
possibility of the sacred. The result is an inspiring personal journey as
well as a poignant reflection on the power of the church and faith, no
matter what our religion may be.
Hello
everyone and thank you. I'm so honored that the CatholicMom book club
has chosen Stalking the Divine for its
September read.
I have to tell you that
I'm also
still shocked when things like this happen. If anyone had told me six
years ago that I'd write a book that would be in the spirituality
section of the bookstore--and that groups like yours would make it
their book club choice-- I would have been incredulous. I'd been
without faith for so many years that I couldn't really remember what
it was like to have faith. And aside from a few members of my
family, I didn't really know anyone who had faith. Sunday mornings
were special only for brunches or hikes or bike rides.
It wasn't always that way, though.
My father was a Catholic and I went to Catholic school up until sixth
grade and I remember that for years, when I was very young, I did FEEL
faith - I felt it as sort of glowing trust and promise and presence.
Then I became a teenager and there seemed to be no way to reconcile
faith with the life of exploration and discovery I wanted. I felt you
couldn't lead that kind of life if you subscribed to a system of
beliefs that demanded that you look at the world in a certain way. And
Catholicism - any kind of faith in God - urges you to look at the world in
certain ways.
So I went on to be an atheist for
the next twenty or so years, either oblivious to or downright scornful
of faith. I raised my children to think that believing in God was
about as sensible as believing in leprechauns. I was probably not so
different from many people you know - perhaps your friends, or your
brothers or sisters, or your children. I believed in being a good
person, but I didn't know what faith had to do with it.
Then I started to change, although
at first this was imperceptible, even to me. I like to compare it to
those hearing tests where you have the headphones on and you're
supposed to wave a hand at the audiologist when you hear a tone:
first, there's a sensation in your ear that you don't even recognize
as sound, then all of a sudden you realize it's the tone and you wave
your hand. It was like that with me for faith. I started to have a
longing for faith without even really realizing it.
Kristin Ohlson is the author
of Stalking the Divine, a memoir
praised for "beautiful writing and gritty honesty" in a starred
review by Publishers Weekly. Stalking the Divine won the
American Society of Journalists and Authors' Best Nonfiction Book
Award for 2004, as well the "Spirit of Serra" Award from Serra, an
international organization that is Pope John Paul II's lay arm for
promoting vocations.
A California-born,
Cleveland-based writer, Ohlson has published articles and essays
in the New York Times, Salon, Ms Magazine, O, The Oprah Magazine,
More, Discover, New Scientist, Tin House, Food & Wine, Poets &
Writers, Sojourners and many others, and has published fiction in
literary magazines. A personal essay appeared in a 2003 anthology
from Salon called "Life As We Know It,"
and she is the recipient of the Ohio Arts Council's major
fellowship for fiction for 2003-2004. Look for her upcoming articles
in Brain, Child; Ladies Home Journal; and Utne
Reader.
Additional Books by Kristin Ohlson Click book title for additional information
About the Book Author, counselor, broadcaster and dad, Dr. Ray Guarendi, offers parents
practical advice about disciplining children to form their children's
character and to teach them the basics of living, moral responsibility, and
respect.
Thanks
to our new partnership with
Catholic Company, 20% of each purchase you make at our
Catholic Mom Catholic Company store will go to help host and
support CatholicMom.com Shop
Catholic Company for
Catholic Books and Catholic Gifts! Our store features an outstanding
selection of Catholic Books and Gifts including Catholic Bibles, Catholic
Catechisms, Bible Studies, Rosaries, Crosses, Crucifixes, Miraculous
Medals, Statues, Catholic Jewelry, Art, Music, Videos, and Church
Supplies!
December
2004
November
2004
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2004
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2004
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2004
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Purchase this book from
Hello
everyone and thank you. I'm so honored that the CatholicMom book club
has chosen
July
2004
Amata
Means Beloved
Letters
to Mary from a Young Mother
Invisible Underwear, Bus Stop Mommies and Other Things True to Life 
Rosary
Meditations for Real Life
As I
Was Saying
The
Habit
April 2004
March 2004
Families
on the Move
February 2004