"Quite honestly, I couldn’t put this book down" A Review of "Mother Teresa and Me"

Here's a new review of Mother Teresa and Me...

"When her mother Louise was dying, my mother-in-law Lori prayed for a sign that Our Lady was close.

"The night Grandma Louise passed away, a woman from hospice came to give her a bath. When she saw Lori’s Miraculous Medal, she grabbed it and kissed it, mentioning that she had just given hers away to another patient. We were able to give her another– which she proclaimed to be just like the one she had given away.

"The woman lovingly cared for Grandma Louise and then passed out prayer cards with the Divine Mercy image and chaplet. She even prayed the chaplet with the family. It wasn’t until several days later that Lori realized this woman had been her sign of the Blessed Mother’s presence. The woman’s name– of course– was Maria.

"Reading Mother Teresa and Me, by Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle, I was reminded again of this beautiful hospice worker. For our family, this woman was a tangible reminder of God’s tender care and loving presence. Mother Teresa was that reminder for the majority of the world.

"As Donna-Marie so poignantly expresses, there is something profoundly important about personal connection; and Mother Teresa is the model of this kind of love for our time.

"Donna-Marie explains how she met Mother Teresa and shares glimpses of the relationship that developed. She provides excerpts from personal correspondence as well as bits of the spiritual direction she was so blessed to receive from Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. And she shares how Mother Teresa’s example awakened her to a new understanding of Jesus’ call to love Him in the Eucharist and in the poor– those in our families, our communities, and around the world.

"Quite honestly, I couldn’t put this book down. Donna-Marie’s easy writing style drew me in. Sprinkled with quotes from Mother Teresa and developing Donna-Marie’s own unique spiritual journey, each chapter flowed naturally in to the next. I was captivated by this personal connection with both Mother Teresa and Donna-Marie. I felt I grew spiritually from encountering Mother Teresa’s model of love and self-gift, and I was grateful for Donna-Marie’s humble relating of her own personal struggles and sufferings. Both witnessed to the love that Jesus has for us, the way He longs to use us to care for each other, and the way he blesses us when we place our trust entirely in Him.

"Mother Teresa’s example urges us to love God in each other. If we’ve ever encountered someone who lives out this model of service, like the hospice worker who blessed our family, we feel instinctively the close presence of God. This lovely book inspires us to this kind of generous prayer and loving service.

"This review was written for The Catholic Company and I received a product sample for this purpose. Because I also received a copy of the book from Catholic Word, for review purposes, I have one to give away to a reader!

"If you’d like to win a copy of this book, leave a comment on this post by Thursday, 1/28/2010 at 11:00 PM CST. Winner will be randomly selected."

Go on over to Anne's blog to enter her contest.