Opportunities for Grace!

I wholeheartedly believe that God allows us umpteen opportunities for his grace each day. All of the challenges and frustrations we face can be beneficial occasions to turn to God and ask for his grace for ourselves and for the people we are dealing with. No matter what is happening around us and within us, we always have recourse to prayer. Prayer is a gift that can never be taken from us. As long as we are conscious (and even if not our hearts may be praying!), whatever is happening in our lives, we always--and I mean always--have recourse to prayer.

page 70, Rooted in Love 

"Rooted in Love" Retreats!

Are you craving a time to reflect about your God-given vocation as a Catholic woman? Get in touch with me and let's talk about setting up a "Rooted in Love" retreat during this Year of Faith for yourself, your Catholic women's group, or parish.

Contact me at: DMCOBoyle@aol.com. I'll look forward to exploring with you how I might be able to serve you.

God bless you and yours!

Rooted in Love Blog Tour: Day # 11

My first exposure to Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle was when I was pregnant with my second child. She had found my blog and asked me to review a book of hers. When she found out I was pregnant, she sent me a delightful package that had in it, among other things, a copy of her lovely pregnancy prayer book, Prayerfully Expecting (which I love!).

Donna-Marie has become quite the well-known Catholic personage since then, and she’s the host of the EWTN show Everyday Blessings for Catholic Moms and the author of a dozen books, including her latest, Rooted in Love: Our Calling as Catholic Women.

I tend to have had, well, enough of all this “be a happy Catholic woman” stuff. Maybe I’m just still too jaded, maybe I’m overdue for confession (well, I certainly am), or maybe I am just unworthy, but it seems the market is saturated.

So I appreciate someone who keeps it real. I tend to begin Donna-Marie’s books with a feeling of “here we go again, brace yourself.” I don’t know why I always have this attitude, because I know without a doubt that:

1. Donna-Marie is just as human as I am.

2. Donna-Marie is neither judgmental nor nasty.

3. I am sure to at least like the book, because I’ve enjoyed all the others.

Over the years, as I’ve watched Donna-Marie become something of a superstar, I’ve been amazed that she seems to remain–I can’t think of another word for it–little. She still replies to my emails. She still seems to interact with people in various places (like the comboxes and Facebook conversations). She seems to have taken to heart the idea of smallness and humility within her own calling to be a Catholic public persona.

And that is what comes out in this book, that feeling of our shared humanity and how our woman-ness draws us to love.

My one sentence summary of Rooted in Love: it’s great.

And I have this to say about Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle after having read this book: she’s an even tougher cookie than I thought.

In this book she shares pieces of her past and her struggles that I have never read nor heard from her before, and they opened me to her message in a way that I wouldn’t have been otherwise.

The book is a journey and it’s a gentle look at where you might be now and where God would have you go (hence the “calling” reference in the subtitle).

It’s neither sappy nor inaccessible, which I’m always sort of afraid of when I see these sorts of titles float my way.

Rooted in Love is the combining of Donna-Marie’s life experiences with the wisdom of the Church and Church teaching in a way that even jaded me could enjoy and like.

All in all, a good gift idea for that woman in your life. And then, after you’ve bought her copy, buy a copy for yourself.

You’re sure to find Rooted in Love at your local Catholic bookstore. Lacking that, you can can purchase it online atAquinas & More Catholic Goods, Ave Maria Press, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon. [Editor's note: and also at www.donnacooperoboyle.com. Autographed copies available there.]

As seen here: http://snoringscholar.com/2012/12/rooted-in-love/   

________________________________
Advent blessings to you!

Rooted in Love Blog Tour: Day # 6

This is from Kate Wicker:

Not too long ago I had one of those days Alexander has – a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. I can’t really say what happened to make my day turn out so lousy. Nothing devastating happened to me personally, although loved ones I knew were suffering from some crushing news. I don’t remember if I stubbed my toe or if the kids were bickering more than usual. What I do recall is the visceral feeling of depletion and defeat that was on the verge of swallowing me whole as I sat on my kitchen floor with a fussy baby clinging to me while I watched a cloud of dog hair studded with crumbs drift along like a tumbleweed in an abandoned desert town.

Life was overwhelming at that moment. The tearful baby, the mess on the floor were proof that I could not keep up with my house, the homeschooling, my children.

Flailing along on the edge of burnout was bad enough but what was worse were the feelings of guilt that here I was living just shy of Eden while others faced real suffering, including family members with debilitating, chronic pain and cancer. How could I feel even a shred of despondency while living in a beautiful home, married to a wonderful man, and being the mother to four healthy, energetic children?
Recently, a caring friend of mine invited me to help serve dinner for a single mom and her three children who were homeless because the mom couldn’t find work. This mom had a real reason to be overwhelmed. Meanwhile, I was playing the world’s smallest violin.

Or was I?

I once had a dear friend tell me something I’ve never forgotten. This friend had faced a mother’s worst nightmare. She had watched her child suffer surrounded by a maze of medical tubes only to die after several months of being in the hospital. The experience crushed in her in many ways, but she also confided in me that as difficult it was to lose her sweet girl, she also had never been more aware of God’s grace than at that tragic time in her life. On the other hand, the daily struggles – what seemed like insignificant, toothpick-like crosses – could really weigh her down and sometimes made her feel like she was alone and even abandoned.

As an American mother married to a kind, hard-working husband with a great job, I live a charmed life and I give thanks for all that I have, but I also know that I, like other mothers, do suffer in small yet significant ways. I was recently persecuted – that’s a strong word, but it’s true – for the size of my family. I wanted to look in to the narrowed eyes and tell this person that a family of six is paltry and that I’m a slacker compared to many of my friends who are bursting with blessings. Instead, I kept quiet and used every ounce of self-control to keep the tears at bay and to steady my voice as I spoke.

Yes, I suffer from sleep deprivation, feeling like the odd woman out or the old woman in the shoe with so many children she didn’t know what to do. I feel inadequate at times, overwhelmed, fearful, But I’m afraid to admit it.  Healthy moms of healthy children who have a house over their heads and all the comforts they could desire don’t feel like they should ever have anything to complain or grieve about so when they do have a less than perfect day, not only do they feel sad and overwhelmed but they feel guilty for feeling that way. We don’t want to complain of feeling persecuted when there’s bride burning and other horrific things happening in the world.

Our children are our blessings. Our husbands our rocks. In the United States, we (mostly) have the freedom to practice our faith. We have enough money to pay the bills. Ergo, we have no right to lament when the toilets overflow and flood our basement because at least we have modern plumbing. We better not ever resent those nocturnal children of ours and our interrupted sleep because at least we have healthy children. And don’t you dare admit that your preschooler sometimes drives you crazy with her irrational requests. Don’t sweat the small stuff – like the new glittery-pink graffiti a child added to one of the few pieces of new furniture in your home. People are more important than things, after all. And is another potty mishap – maybe a nuclear diaper or a puddle of pee on the couch – really that big of deal?

Yes, sometimes it is. For some of us mothers the call to holiness is not about enduring dire suffering in the form of abject poverty, disease, or serious religious persecution. Sometimes it’s subtle eye rolling in your direction for trusting God or buying into the “fantasy” of faith. Every day it’s a slow dying to self. It’s mopping up toilet water from the basement floor. It’s folding laundry day after day. It’s sleepless nights. It’s giving up blogging or any other hobby to make more time for your family. It’s being proud of the small village you’re raising and overseeing on a daily basis.

Do you know what women inspire me the most? They’re not the moms who pretend they love every minute of being a wife and mother. They’re not necessarily the moms who flaunt enviable domestic prowess. They aren’t the moms who have half a dozen children or more and make it look easy. They’re the moms who aren’t afraid to show you that it’s hard. They are the moms whose children might go out in public looking like ragamuffins because combing unruly hair is less of a priority than reading lots of storybooks or being responsive to a needy baby. They are the moms who, though they stumble, rise with grace and continue to put one foot in front of the other even when they’re tired, frustrated, or frazzled. They’re the moms who say with their lives, “This is tough, tough, tough work, but it’s worth it. I love my kids more than life itself, but they sometimes drive me nuts. I feel overwhelmed some days. I’m scared sometimes and question things, but in the end I trust.  I can’t do it all, and I won’t pretend to. But whatever I do try and do I will try to do well. And when I don’t do anything well, I’ll sometimes sit on the kitchen floor and cry a good cry before getting back up again and finding my own brand of holiness in sweeping a messy kitchen floor while holding a cranky baby.”

They are the moms who accept where they are and what they are. They’re not always hauling around big, obvious crosses, but they do sometimes suffer nonetheless. And they recognize that each moment in their life – whether they enjoy it or simply must endure it – is “best and holiest thing”* that could happen to them. They are not flashy heroes, but they do practice heroic virtue.

They are rooted in love; they are rooted in God. And when the messes, exhaustion, wayward children, plumbing malfunctions, and profusely shedding dogs seem too much to bear, they’re not afraid to cry out and ask for help.

–

This post was not only inspired by a tough day in the trenches but also by this quote in Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle’s newest book Rooted in Love: Our Calling as Catholic Women:

“What God arranges for us to experience at each moment is the best and holiest thing that could happen to us. Every moment we live through is like an ambassador who declares the will of God, and our hearts always utter their acceptance. We can find all that is necessary in the present moment….At every moment God’s will produces what is needed for the task at hand, and the simple soul, instructed by faith, finds everything as it should be and wants neither more nor less than what it has.”

Jesuit Jean-Pierre de Caussade* (1675-1751), as quoted in Chapter 7: In My Struggles

About the book: Donna-Marie marbles plenty of personal stories into this encouraging volume and closes each chapter with discussion questions as well as a prayer. Rooted in Love is a  gentle invitation to embrace your calling as a Catholic woman.

My Advent gift to you is a chance to win a copy of the book. Leave a comment below to enter to win. Contest ends December 15th at 8 pm EST. If you share this post on Facebook or Twitter, you’ll glean additional entries. Please leave a comment for each separate action so if you share on FB and Twitter, leave three separate comments (one for your general entry, on for FB, and one for Twitter).

Follow Donna-Marie along her Rooted in Love blog tour by visiting the book’s website.

To learn more about Donna-Marie, please visit her main website.

See Kate's blog post here as well as enter the book contest here: http://katewicker.com/2012/12/the-suffering-mother-rooted-in-love-blog-tour-giveaway.html

God bless!

Some of Donna-Marie's Finest Writing

I had the tremendous good fortune to endorse this book and said of it in my endorsement: "Offers Donna-Marie's unique brand of encouragement and spiritual guidance, amazing anecdotes of a life well lived, plus reflection questions, prayers, and more to help you know, love, and serve God more fully every day." 

Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle is a spiritual friend to those of us who sometimes need encouragement in our daily walk. I have read all of her books, and this one is perhaps my favorite -- a great gift to give a friend, but especially yourself!~Lisa Hendey, Author, Speaker, Podcaster, and Founder of Catholic Mom.com

________

God bless!

Rooted in Love Tour, Day # Four

I am honored to be today’s stop on Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle's blog tour for her newest book,Rooted in Love: Our Calling as Catholic Women, from Ave Maria Press.I was lucky enough to get to read this book long before it hit the shelves.  (And if you read to the end of this post and leave a comment, you may be lucky enough to win a copy of your own!) Here’s what I said about Rooted in Love in my “blurb”:

“Whether you are single or married, managing a busy household buzzing with children or adjusting to the quiet of an empty nest, Rooted in Love will give you the spiritual inspiration and practical tools you need to embrace your calling as a Catholic woman.”

Donna — in her many books, on her popular EWTN television show, and through her public speaking engagements and retreats — has a talent and a knack for gently leading people, women in particular, closer to Christ through her willingness to share stories from her own life, her steadfast knowledge of Catholic teaching, and her profound faith that is, indeed, rooted in love, God’s love, which is so deeply embedded in Donna’s daily life you can feel it even in an email message — or on the pages of her beautiful books.

I can assure you that when you read Rooted in Love, you will feel as though you are sitting down with a good friend to talk about your spiritual struggles and “successes,” and at every turn Donna will be there cheering you on, reminding you that you don’t have to be perfect, giving you the gentle nudge you need to take the next step on your spiritual journey.

But Donna doesn’t just give you nice platitudes and pretty words; she gets to the heart of the matter — Church teaching, lessons from the saints, meditations, reflection questions, and more. Page by page, she will help you discover ways to truly live out your own vocation as a Catholic woman.

In one story, Donna recalls a plane trip and a fellow passenger having a very difficult time. A man sitting two rows behind her asked: “How did you do that? You helped that girl. How did you do that?” And Donna replied simply: “God put a lot of love in my heart. I like to help people.”

And that’s just what Donna does in the pages of her new book. She helps people come to know God more deeply until they, too, find their hearts filled to overflowing with love.

To enter the Rooted in Love book giveaway, leave a comment here http://www.notstrictlyspiritual.com/2012/12/rooted-in-love-a-new-book-for-catholic-women/ before midnight tonight. Tomorrow we will randomly select a winner, and I will announce it here on Not Strictly Spiritual.

Follow the rest of Donna’s blog tour by visiting her website at www.donnacooperoboyle.com or going toAve Maria Press.

________

You can see the above post here:
http://www.notstrictlyspiritual.com/2012/12/rooted-in-love-a-new-book-for-catholic-women/

God bless you and yours!

Blog Tour Stop # Three

Rooted in Love {My Turn on the Ave Marie Press Book Tour!}

I anxiously awaited the release of Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle's new book "Rooted in Love : Our Calling as Catholic Women"  As a Catholic woman that was raised in a time when it was confusing to be a girl, I still sometimes have trouble deciding what my role is in this chaotic world where the lines between men and women are blurred to say the least.  I first realized *my* struggles with knowing who I was to the world vs who I was called to be by God when I started staying home with our children.  There was little support from other women, men, and certainly not in the world.  It was then that I realized that the feminist view doesn't really support the "choice" to be who God calls us to be.  It only supports the idea that women can and should do everything men do.  At that point  I started scouring the bookstores and later the internet trying to redefine within myself what my role as a Catholic woman was.  It was such a gift to discover the fabulous books by Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle.  Many of her books are about Catholic Motherhood (which is very needed in our culture) but this book is about what our calling is as Catholic Women.  A couple of years back I had the privilege of taking an ENDOW course.  It was very enlightening to me and opened my eyes to the different roles that women play in society.  Until then, embarrassingly enough, I often felt at odds  with other women.  I was often defensive about my role as a Catholic mother and wife and frequently felt "less than" because of the choices Jesse and I had made for our family.   It was in that class that I finally learned that God has given us all so many different gifts because if we were all the same then where's the fun in that?  I was finally able to let go of the fact that I just can't knit and I'm not particularly crafty.  But I have other talents that other women may not have.  No one "has it all" and through the writings of Blessed John Paul II, I was able to find peace where I am.  I haven't been able to take another ENDOW course so I was very pleased to find Donna-Marie's new book laid out in a format that was similar to the soul searching I was able to do at ENDOW.  Each chapter is packed with personal stories, scripture, quotes from the Saints and so much more.  The end of every chapter has reflection questions.  You could easily do use this book on your own for personal growth and reflection or in a group of women.

The book is broken up into five parts.  The first part reflects on discovering ourselves in Christ.  The second part is called "Christ is My Strength" and the third "Christ is My Life".   The last two parts are called "Meeting Christ in Others" and "Christ is My Joy".

There are so many parts of this book that I appreciate.  One big one is the part about finding Christ amidst the struggles.  It can sometimes be so easy to BLAME God for our struggles and not so easy to ask Him to help us through the struggles (note I did not say for Him to take the struggles away.  We will all have struggles and learning to "suffer well" is a valuable skill).  The section on struggling touches on things like redemptive suffering and dealing with (unnecessary) guilt (what woman doesn't carry a heap of guilt around with her??).  It was a blessing to read the words that Donna-Marie uses in addition the scripture quoted within that section.

As women we are called to be loving, kind, and nurturing.  It's how we are built.  As Catholic Women we are called to be the light of Christ in other people's lives.  Rooted in Love reminds us to unplug, stop listening to the world, and to look to the One Who made us for the direction that we should go in life.  This book would make an excellent read during this Advent Season and a fabulous stocking stuffer too (or gift for a friend or a good choice for a women's book club.....oh just read it already!!).

I believe this book can help to bring peace to a woman's life, family, and soul.  It's easy to relate to, funny, thought provoking and can make you cry a bit too.  What else could you ask for?

You can find it on Amazon, at the Ave Maria Press website, Barnes and Noble, or at your local Catholic bookstore.

You can find Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle's full bio HERE

You can see Amy's review here: http://www.ekblad9.blogspot.com/2012/12/rooted-in-love-my-turn-on-ave-marie.html

God bless!

Rooted in Love: Celebrating with Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle

Today, we are so very happy to welcome our very own Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle for a special stop along her blog tour as together we celebrate the launch of her wonderful new book Rooted in Love: Our Calling As Catholic Women. As someone who is blessed to call Donna-Marie friend, I celebrate this launch not only in happiness for her, but also counting the blessings of those women whose lives will be touched by this gift of a book. In my endorsement for Rooted in Love, I shared:

“Rooted in Love offers Donna-Marie’s unique brand of encouragement and spiritual guidance, amazing anecdotes of a life well lived, plus reflection questions, prayers, and more to help you know, love, and serve God more fully every day.”

I’m happy to share the following interview with Donna-Marie and urge you to gift yourself and the special women in your life Rooted in Love this Advent season. It’s a gift that will keep on giving!

Q. Donna-Marie thank you for being a longtime contributor to and friend of CatholicMom.com. For our readers who may not already know you, would you kindly give a short introduction of yourself and your family?

You are very welcome, Lisa. Thank YOU for all that you do through Catholic Mom and for answering God’s call to create it!

Just a little bit of background: First of all, readers can check out my bio at my website to learn more: www.donnacooperoboyle.com but simply, I am a Catholic wife and mother of five on earth and three in heaven. I have taught faith formation for almost thirty years (time flies!), I am active in my parish, I have written several Catholic books in an attempt to inspire the reader to come closer to God. I was blessed to know Servant of God, Father John A. Hardon, S.J. and Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta (for almost ten years) and I do my best to pass on the blessings I received from them through my writings and talks.

Rooted in Love: Our Calling as Catholic Women

Q. Congratulations on the publication of Rooted in Love – I think the book is an amazing resource for women! Would you share a bit about the format of the book and what women will discover when they begin their journey with this book?

Thank you for your kind words, Lisa. I wroteRooted in Love to encourage Catholic and Christian women in their lofty vocations and to help them to discover their God-given gifts and guide them to see that our lives as Catholic women are so rich!

As I say in the Introduction, “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.” I find this fact to be very amazing and comforting and I wish to share that with Catholic women everywhere.

I think that many women feel stretched beyond measure trying to keep up with all of the demands in their lives while also striving for an unobtainable level of perfection. I’m here to allay their fears, affirm their innermost desires of pleasing God, and to point them lovingly to finding a holy balance, as well as encourage them to revel in the joy of their vocation of Catholic womanhood even when it’s tiring or arduous.

So, what will they find in this book? I hope it will be lots of encouragement, affirmation, interesting stories, and loving advice as to some Catholic tools that might prove to be very useful in their lives.

The book is set up in five parts. First: Discovering Myself in Christ. Two: Christ Is My Strength. Three: Christ Is My Life. Four: Meeting Christ In Others. Five: Christ is My Joy.

I endeavor throughout the book to show Catholic women how they can be happy forever, specifically by following the age-old but timeless words from the Baltimore Catechism: “God made me to know him, to love him, and to serve him in this world, and to be happy with him forever in the next.”

Each chapter ends with suggestions on how to do just that.

Q. In a way, this is a “working book” in my eyes, a book that is meant, not just to be read, but also really to be used as a tool for devotion and growth. Was this your aim and what do you hope women will learn in their work with this book?

Yes, you are absolutely correct. I want to reach each woman individually as she ponders and prays her way through her experience of reading the book. I offer her meditation questions after each chapter, which she can go about at her leisure. No one will be grading her on her answers! Her responses are so personal to her spiritual growth.

As another way to grow in faith, I welcome the reader to consider gathering a group of girlfriends or parishioners to read the book together in a study group. Sharing the faith in a setting such as this can be so enlightening to all involved.

Q: You share so much of yourself and your own faith life in your books, and this book is no exception. Why is this important for our readers and is self-disclosure or sharing of your personal faith challenges ever a struggle for you?

Thanks for asking that question, Lisa. It’s not easy to put yourself out there, but I sincerely feel it’s so important to share your personal story (struggles and all) with your readership. In this way, the reader will know that I am real, first of all, and will also hopefully realize that since I know what the suffering they may be enduring feels like and how it can tug at one’s heart and twist their brain, perhaps they will trust me to also offer them the Catholic tools to manage the pain or suffering, and even to rise above the tough situation. Sometimes (maybe more often than not) a woman’s life is not all warm and fuzzy and we must acknowledge that fact and find ways to overcome problems, grow through them, and perhaps even help others in the process.

Q: As a very busy writer, speaker and television host, how do you manage to prioritize prayer in your own life?

I make the time. I make my life a prayer. I’m not saying I have a sparkling halo hovering over my head, but I do know that prayer has to rise up from our hearts to reach the heart of God. If we love him, we’ll talk to Him—simple as that. So, we make time for our Creator and speak to Him often even as we run through our days. I feel one of the most important prayers for us busy women is in getting on our knees first thing in the morning to offer everything to God—our prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of the day ahead and we ask Him to transform them and use them for His glory. Amazing things happen when we surrender our lives to God! I also love to keep company with Mother Mary, the saints and the angels. They do indeed guide us ever closer to God.

In this book, I talk a lot about kinds of prayers but I also I impress upon the reader thateverything is an opportunity for grace. So, no matter what happens on any given day, we can pray through it all and ask God to grant us the graces we need for ourselves and those we serve.

Q: What’s next?

Only God knows for sure, Lisa. But, I can tell you about a few things that are coming up. I have a new book for Catholic mothers coming out in the spring titled, Catholic Mom’s Café: 5-Minute Retreats for Every Day of the Year. I have a Confirmation book coming out which is geared to fourth graders and up—part keepsake, part teaching book. I have another Lenten book for families coming out and I won’t reveal now whom the saint is. I’m sorry, but I’ll keep everyone in suspense for a bit longer.

In addition to my show “Everyday Blessings for Catholic Moms” on EWTN, I’m excited about a new show I am currently creating for Catholic moms for EWTN television. Each episode will include a guest on my new half-hour show. I’ll keep you posted as it unfolds.

Q: Are there any additional thoughts or comments you’d like to share with our readers?

I hope that readers will discover their feminine genius and true calling as a Catholic woman and will celebrate their feminine holiness in all that they do, being a Christian model for all.

I want to thank them for joining me on the journey that leads to heaven! I welcome their visits to my blogs and website: www.donnacooperoboyle.com where they’ll see new inspiration and where they can subscribe to my email newsletter.

God bless you, Lisa Thank you very much for your gracious interview.

We wish Donna-Marie great success with the launch of  Rooted in Love. Follow her along her blog tour for this great book by visiting her website at www.donnacooperoboyle.com. 

You can see this post at Catholic Mom: http://catholicmom.com/2012/12/02/rooted-in-love-celebrating-with-donna-marie-cooper-oboyle/

God bless you and yours!

Donna-Marie is Rooted in Love

Donna-Marie is Rooted in Love

Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle has a beautiful new book, Rooted in Love: Our Calling as Catholic Women, that explores what it means to be a woman striving to be a reflection of Christ everyday, in all things.

In the course of her exploration, Donna-Marie shares a number of personal stories (her own, and those of others), some of them extraordinarily painful. Through these often startling and dramatic anecdotes, she demonstrates that no matter how difficult life becomes, we can turn to Christ and find comfort and healing, growing closer to Him in the midst of suffering.

And Donna pinpoints the ways in which we women can be much harder on ourselves than we need to be.  An excerpt:

I think that we women can become our own worst enemy by worrying that we're not doing enough to please others and God, too. We actually heap more responsibilities (whether they be actual or emotional) than is necessary upon our own shoulders. We deal with so many demands for perfection in our lives. Many of the saints spoke about how a whole lot of us might never do very big things in life (or what some might consider "big" things.) But we can lead simple yet faithful lives by doing small things with great love. This is very pleasing to God and is actually the secret to real holiness as both St. Therese of Lisieux and Blessed Teresa of Calcutta preached. And, yes, God calls all of us to become saints.

Perhaps the irony is that, as many women struggle with the demands of our society and the mass media to become "perfect," achieving perfection is simply being faithful to the duties of our lives. God looks at perfection much differently than do we.

Abandonment, loneliness and loss, health problems, crime, and numerous other sufferings -- such painful situations and heartaches can eventually become avenues of grace. Donna knows that. She has faced her own personal hardships and isn't afraid to share them in the hope that her experiences can inspire and encourage other women. Donna-Marie strives to be a whole-hearted disciple of Christ, and she wants the same for every single one of us.

This post can be seen at Karen's blog: http://karenedmisten.blogspot.com/2012/12/donna-marie-is-rooted-in-love.html



God bless!