Facing chronic illnesses with hope.GRACE CASSELMAN'S Knocked Off My Knees is a good source of education for someone diagnosed with lupus lupus (l  `pəs), noninfectious chronic disease in which antibodies in an individual's immune system attack the body's own substances. but, more importantly, it is
a personal story which speaks to the heart and soul of the human
condition when faced with a chronic or terminal illness.
Thirty-two year old Grace had much to celebrate with a devoted husband, the gift of a new baby, and an interesting career in business journalism Business journalism is the branch of journalism that tracks, records, analyses and interprets the economic changes that take place in a society. It could include anything from personal finance, to business at the local market to the malls, to performance of well-known and specializing in technology. But tragedy struck. Her whole world crumbled with the sudden onset and rapid exacerbation of lupus. Her battles with fatigue, excruciating muscular and skeletal pain, weakness, loss of motor skills leading to confinement in a wheelchair, made it impossible for her to care for her baby. Her debilitating de·bil·i·tat·ing adj. Causing a loss of strength or energy. Debilitating Weakening, or reducing the strength of. Mentioned in: Stress Reduction condition stripped her of her dignity and made her totally dependent on others. She felt worthless as a spouse and a mother. She talks candidly about her battles, not only with the physical challenges, but with the psychological and spiritual aspects of dealing with her condition, and its impact on her family and friends. She also raises some interesting ethical issues as she writes about her hospitalization and experience with health care professionals. As the daughter of two ordained or·dain tr.v. or·dained, or·dain·ing, or·dains 1. a. To invest with ministerial or priestly authority; confer holy orders on. b. To authorize as a rabbi. 2. ministers who grew up in a strong Christian environment she gained courage and strength from the scriptures, prayers, a devoted husband and a very caring mother. Her story is one of inspiration and hope in the face of the trauma and challenges of a chronic illness. This paperback is an easy read and a good source of information for the lay person. In Broken Body, Healing Spirit, Episcopal priest Mary Earle, faced with repeated serious illnesses found comfort and healing in the application of the ancient Benedictine practice known as Lectio Divina Lectio Divina is Latin for divine reading, spiritual reading, or "holy reading," and represents a method of prayer and scriptural reading intended to promote communion with God and to provide special spiritual insights. and provides orientation to her readers on how to apply this process with Scripture reading and prayer, in a manner that allows a sick person to find the spirit of God, "in whom we live and move and have our being," in the midst Adv. 1. in the midst - the middle or central part or point; "in the midst of the forest"; "could he walk out in the midst of his piece?" midmost of pain and discomfort. She details the five stages of Lectio Divina. The anecdotes relating to relating to relate prep → concernant relating to relate prep → bezüglich +gen, mit Bezug auf +acc the personal experiences of people with debilitating conditions, and the practical exercises, illustrate in a tangible way how to read the text of one's body with scripture, imagery and art and how to build hope when faced with life's challenges. Emphasis is placed on one's ability to read and interpret his/her life story and the story of the illness in a scriptural manner, strategically following the guidelines. Mary Earle offers hope and healing to sick people, even in the absence of a cure. The application of this non-conventional process might best serve the sick person if practised as a way of life for Christians whose bodies and souls are fragmented. A valuable resource for counselors and those ministering to the sick. BOOK REVIEW Knocked Off My Knees Coping When Chronic Illness Hits Hard by Grace Casselman Publish America 131 pages, $19.95 US Broken Body, Healing Spirit by Mary C. Earle Morehouse Pub. 120 pages, $19.95 Anglican Book Centre * A Bookstore for all Christians * 1-800-268-1168 Tel: 416-294-1332 * Fax 416-294-2760 * 600 Jarvis St. Toronto, ON M4Y 2J6 * E-mail: abc@national.anglican.ca * Web: www.anglicanbookcentre.com WRITING IN THE DUST Rowan Williams  The current Anglicanism Collaboration of the Month isBook of Common Prayer The next collaboration will be selected on September 30, 2007. (Vote here) $22.95 Sale $9.95 The future Archbishop of Canterbury The Archbishop of Canterbury is the main leader of the Church of England and by convention is also recognised as head of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The current archbishop is Rowan Williams. was literally yards from the World Trade Centre on September 11th. This is his reflection on the terrible day, and how he sees its impact for the future. Note: This deluxe hard-cover dust-jacketed edition is on sale from ABC at less than half the price of the paper-back! Order early to avoid disappointment as quantities are limited! A TRAVELLER'S PRAYER BOOK $24.75 This personal devotional contains prayers, including ones for the beginning of a journey and safer return home, Scripture readings, and psalmody psalm·o·dy n. pl. psalm·o·dies 1. The act or practice of singing psalms in divine worship. 2. The composition or arranging of psalms for singing. 3. A collection of psalms. chosen with the traveler in mind. Beautifully crafted in durable hard-cover with a ribbon marker, this fine book will be a cherished companion for the well-seasoned or infrequent traveler, pilgrims, or sojourners, for many years. LOVE'S REDEEMING WORK The Anglican Quest for Verb 1. quest for - go in search of or hunt for; "pursue a hobby" quest after, go after, pursue look for, search, seek - try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of; "The police are searching for clues"; "They are searching for the Holiness Compiled by Geoffrey Rowell The Right Reverend Dr. Geoffrey Rowell (born 13 February 1943) is an Anglican priest, currently the third Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe. Born as Douglas Geoffrey Rowell, he was educated at Winchester College and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. $47.95 Finally available in paperback, this authoritative, 800-page volume draws together works of major figures in Anglicanism, from the 16th century to the present. Each text is accompanied by a brief biography of the writer, explanatory notes, and background information to help the reader understand the nuances of Anglican tradition and spirituality. Bev Harvey is a parish nurse at St. Peter's, Erindale, Mississauga, Ont. |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion