In my 61 years on this planet I have come to accept that almost everything can change.
-- from the Introduction to Real Women, Real Wisdom: A Journey into the Feminine Soul by Maureen Hovenkotter, author and editor.
We all belong to someone, or the Great Someone, but we often forget.-- from "Motherhood and Daughterhood: Love and Goodbye" by Barbara Underwood Scharff, the first essay in the collection.
I only just started the book, but I had the opportunity to meet with many of the women who's essays are published in the collection. They are a terrific and inspiring group of women and I am very much looking forward to learning their stories.
Maureen Hovenkotter and some of the authors will be at Wordstock in Portland next week. Stop by to meet them.
THE BOOK: In Real Women Real Wisdom, 17 ordinary yet extraordinary women—most in their 50s and 60s—reflect on the challenges, mysteries and ultimately the triumphs in their lives. Their stories tell of the transformative experiences of loss, suffering, life-threatening illness, recovery, and forgiveness, as well as the quiet moments of reflection that have led to their personal encounters with the Divine. The journeys they share hold great wisdom, hope and inspiration for all who read about them. (Publisher's description.)
THE AUTHOR/EDITOR: Maureen Hovenkotter is one of the 17 authors of the book and the editor of the collection. She has written about faith and spiritual matters for a number of publications, including The Oregonian, The National Catholic Reporter, St. Anthony Messenger and The Catholic Sentinel. In the fall of 2003, her husband of 33 years was killed in an accident. She wrote about that experience and the subsequent pilgrimage journey to discover herself in 42 States of Grace: A Woman’s Journey (reviewed by me here). She shares her reflections on life and spirituality in her blog, Travelin' with Charlie. The mother of two adult children and grandmother of one, she lives outside of Portland with her golden retriever, Charlie. She is currently enrolled in a formation program to become certified as a spiritual director.
A Few More Pages hosts Book Beginnings every Friday. The event is open for the entire week.