Rooted in Love Blog Tour Day # 7

From Roxane at "Peace Garden Mama"

 

Welcome to Peace Garden Mama! I'm so pleased to be part of the effort to help spread word of my sweet friend Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle's brand-new book, "Rooted In Love: Our Calling as Catholic Women." 

I can think of no better time than now for a book like this to find its way into my own hands, head and heart. This week has been my first working at home full time after a year of trying to manage work outside the home. With the surrender, my life has changed overnight, and all for the better so far. In these first days of being immersed fully in the depths of family life, I've been rewarded richly as I've rediscovered the deepest calling through serving my family. And there's no one who more assuredly affirms women in their roles as mother, wife and daughter of God than Donna-Marie.

My hot-off-the-press copy of "Rooted in Love" is sitting right next to my nightstand. I've already begun dipping in and am looking forward to journeying further with Donna-Marie by way of her blessed, wise words throughout these next weeks. To whet my and your appetites, Donna-Marie has graciously answered a few questions about her book and how it came to be. By leaving a comment at the end of this post, you'll be entered in a drawing to receive a free copy!

Donna-Marie, thanks for allowing me to be one of the hosts of your blog tour. I'd love to know more about why you wrote"Rooted in Love." In what specific ways do you feel it will benefit women?

Thank you for asking, Roxane. I wrote "Rooted in Love"because I believe that Catholic and Christian women are grappling with so many issues and I feel this book might very well bring them the peace they’re aching for.

Women wrestle with scores of struggles. They are sometimes stressed, depressed, and worn out. They battle with demands for perfection and can sometimes feel alone and discouraged trying to make sense out of all of the mixed messages aimed at them. The world tries to push a false identity on women based on its corrupt values. Most of that comes to us through an onslaught of messages via the mass media and the culture, which is hard to escape.

Women are stretched beyond measure trying to do it all—all of what they need to accomplish on any given day and even the extra bunch of things that they add to their own shoulders (inadvertently or mistakenly). In addition, certainly we must face the facts that women have not exactly been acknowledged or affirmed properly throughout the centuries.

With all of that going on in a woman’s life, she might (and often does) totally lose sight of her true purpose (if she was ever aware of it), as well as the joy she deserves to feel, being a daughter of God, possessing so many beautiful gifts.

I hope that by my offering encouragement, support, and advice in "Rooted in Love," Catholic women will garner a sense of affirmation of their God-given dignity and even feel a renewed peace. I’m hoping and praying that women will fully realize their true feminine genius and endeavor to unearth it with gusto.

As I wrote in the introduction, “Today’s Catholic woman need not feel alone or discouraged. There is an amazing richness to the Catholic faith that can be unearthed and applied to our lives. Catholic womanhood is steeped in tremendous love, transforming grace, and fulfilling joy. Our mission and vocation are rooted in love of God, who actually stoops down to serve us, his creatures, even as we strive to serve him. Amazing!”

Later on, I mentioned that “Somewhere beneath the surface of our lives exists an incredible God-given and magnificent dignity as a woman. I say that it’s hidden because, for many women, when they recognize their true dignity, it’s a sheer delight, perhaps even an unexpected surprise.”

Throughout the book, I discuss the innumerable facets of a Catholic woman’s life, offering suggestions of Catholic tools that can help navigate it. I also propose the solution to the problems of objectification, exploitation, and the mass confusion aimed at women: to earnestly and prayerfully seek to discover our true dignity as women, reveal it with great joy, and then do our part to assist other women to unearth their true God-given dignity.

Why is this the ideal time for "Rooted in Love" to release?

In the chapter titled, “In My Struggles,” I talk about the many challenging issues that women face, including sickness, grief, stress, sense of failure, discouragement, anger, resentment, jealousy, divorce, difficult pregnancies, loss of a spouse, being stretched to the limit, dealing with demands for perfection, and being bombarded with lopsided messages from the culture.

Because of this and the fact that women could certainly benefit from encouragement and guidance, I think the book comes at a very good time. Despite these issues, women are pressing forward, moving deeper into their faith, and feeling more recognized as an integral part of the Church.

In "Rooted in Love,"I draw on solid Catholic teachings and weave in uplifting as well as dramatic stories throughout. I endeavor to hearten Catholic women to strive to explore how they can live an amazingly meaningful and happy life as they come to know, love, and serve God with their feminine minds, hearts, and hands. Imagine what could happen if women would gather together to share their faith and insights by using this book in a study group! 

Indeed, I can easily see this book being used as a conversation starter and idea generator among groups of women. I think the fruits of women gathering together to share their faith and insights by using this as a tool would be bountiful.

Donna, thanks for sharing some of the gems of your book with us. We are indeed thirsting for words and thoughts such as what you have labored to offer us here. Thanks for digging deep into your own life as a mother, wife and daughter of God to bring us "Rooted in Love."

I'm excited to share this treasure of a book with one blessed reader. I'll be watching for those comments! [Enter to win the book here at this link: http://roxanesalonen.blogspot.com/2012/12/faith-fridays-blog-tour-with-donna.html ]

For those who would like to order a copy or two (Christmas is nearing), visit Donna-Marie's website and buy it at a special, early-bird price for a limited time here. 

Roxane's post can be seen here at her blog: http://roxanesalonen.blogspot.com/2012/12/faith-fridays-blog-tour-with-donna.html

God bless you and yours,