Sometimes I Feel Like a Piece of Bologna

Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace

Pearl Girls from Michael J Garvey on Vimeo.

Do you have a situation in your life that's like a grain of sand in your shoe? Something that rubs a blister, then a callous? Most of us GenSandwichers do. Whether it’s caring for our aging parents, worrying about our kidults, or facing the impact of our own aging processes, we seem to have opportunities every day to develop character as we grow in grace. In fact, I spent the day at the hospital with my husband, who had surgery. I'll be there the rest of this week. You know what that does to my schedule and all of the important things I need to do! Just another opportunity to develop patience!

I’ve been reading a wonderful book that offers insights into those grains of sand as they slowly form pearls in the hidden places of our hearts. Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace is a compilation of short stories written by women who've taken their annoying grains of sand and allowed God to turn them into pearls. Edited by Margaret McSweeney, the book features stories by both well-known and little known writers.

As an added incentive, Margaret is donating all proceeds from the book to two charities:

WINGS (women in need growing stronger). The proceeds will help fund a Safe House in the Chicago suburbs. It costs $50 a night to provide safe shelter for a woman and her children. During this economy, WINGS is receiving even more phone calls for a safe place to stay. Already, the Pearl Girls have provided 60 nights with the advance royalties. www.wingsprogram.com



Hands of Hope. The proceeds will help build wells in Uganda for school children. Can you imagine a child at school without a water fountain in the hallway where he or she can grab a quick sip of water in between classes on a hot day? These children have to drink from puddles and other water sources which carry diseases and parasites. It costs $12,000 to build a well in Uganda. Already, the Pearl Girls have provided funds to build ¼ of a well. www.handsofhopeonline.org

So if you need a bit of inspiration along the way, join me in reading Pearl Girls. You'll gain new perspective on that annoying or even tragic situation in your life.