Women Who Shape the Heart

Many women have touched my life, left their fingerprints on my heart in one way or another.

A few have not only left a print, some have actually shaped who I am and who I desire to be.

There is my mom, of course, wounded and broken, yet strong and courageous.  She loves, and loves hard and deep.  Of all the women I know she is by far my biggest cheerleader.  She believes in me even while I drown in self-doubt.  She has said, more than once,  ‘I wish I had you for a mom.’

There have been three women called Mary, in my life.

My grandmother, who loved and sacrificed and hung on my every word.  Gentle eyes and strong work-worn hands.  She taught me so much, even more since her passing, as I look back through grown up eyes.

Mary, a woman older than myself.  She encouraged and challenged and held my hand as I fell deeper and deeper in love with my God, His Son, and His Word.

Mary, this one is one of those most wonderful girlfriends that you share your whole heart with.  One that knows exactly what page you are on with the Lord and so ‘gets’ your heart.  One that loves your children as if they were her own.

The most recent woman to totally and utterly shape who  I am and who I crave to be.  One God uses over and over again to draw me back to Him, to joy, to thankfulness.  Her name is Ann, “a plain Ann without even the fanciful “e”, a farmers wife, a mama to six.  Most of you know and love her too.  She pours her heart out daily at A Holy Experience.  You simply cannot read her words without leaving changed in some way.

Her words have been gathered into a beautiful book called, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are.  Take a moment to watch the short video below.  Be forewarned, once meeting Ann, you won’t be the same.

One Thousand Gifts

I would like to give away a copy of Ann’s, One Thousand Gifts.  In an effort to support the beautiful message of her book, I would like to make the criteria for getting your name in the drawing be a blog post. Could you feature a picture of her book  and this give away?  Please link back to this giveaway post.  In the event you don’t have a blog, could you email five friends and tell them about her book?  You could comment letting me know that you did, I trust you. I will draw a winner on the morning of January 26, 2011.

Join me in getting the word out about this treasure.