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Ever feel like your life is just a series of connected, sometimes unrelated moments that leave you drained at the end of the day and wondering what you accomplished?

This easy-to-read inspirational volume is not a book full of oft-quoted truths that are easier said than lived by. It's principles were forged in the dailies of life and shared in simple, heartfelt, and straightforward encouragements that will leave you anxious to buy a copy for everyone you know.

At the end of each chapter there are guidelines for spending time alone with God. Susan acknowledges that we live through seasons in our lives where we are unable to spend as much time with the Lord as we would like. She has learned, and continues to learn the key to getting beyond this is the reality of God's presence in our lives.

A personal note...I had the opportunity to interview Susan for publication, so I obtained a copy of the book and began to read it. I couldn't put it down. And, it was just what I needed personally. I was in tears and had to gather my composure before I could call her to begin discussing the book. I would recommend it to any person, male or female, whose lifestyle is hurried, stressful or filled with anxious moments.

All working mothers should read this. It doesn't take much time but offers time for peaceful thoughts. A must read for the busy mother.

This is a great book and a short read. Perfect for busy women who need "time out." I encourage all working mothers to read it.

What a beautiful book, I thought. I could see it on my coffee table or as a gift for a friend, but then I read it. Wow! A beautiful book with insightful writing and content. Cindy has provided a book that quilters will love, that will make a wonderful gift for friends, and a keepsake for those who love to read good writing.

This is a wonderful book in which the author creatively weaves stories and quilt patterns into an insightful, hopeful look at life that encourages reflection in the reader's own life and inspires and warms the heart. I found Quilts from Heaven a delightful read! Cindy has a way of splashing light on her world as she writes.

As a quilter I really enjoyed every chapter of this wonderful book. Lucinda has a keen understanding of the things that touch women deeply. A great gift book, beautifully illustrated with photos of quilts.

This isn't your ordinary coffee table book. Jim Goldberg delves into the lives of homeless kids living on the street, cataloging and following two kids through his collage of pictures and stories. Although it's hard to resist just leafing through it's pages, the real message and story is in reading the book from cover to cover. Jim Goldberg ties the pictures together with stories, giving you a real sense of what these kids go through, what their motivations are, what their daily lives are like.

I volunteer helping out homeless kids in Seattle, and from what I've seen this book does a good job of accurately protraying these children, including why they're on the street. He's unbiased and uncensored in his view, I think echo's review reflecting this (one of the kids followed in the book) only stands as a testament of this.

This is an eye-opening book full of amazing photographs that will leave you FEELING what these kids and adults are and have gone through living on the streets of San Francisco. Not too often are you experiencing so many emotions as you will when you flip page through page through this book. I can't say much more but it is worth the money...you will experience something that many of us are fortunate to have not experienced.

Accurate and thourough- Jim Goldberg told our stories truthfully, and lets you draw your own conclusions. - echo

Wow! What a great insight into the very basics of keeping and returning your children to the path wew all deep inside wish to see them on! We have been using the guidance in these and other parenting books from DPI to train our children in respect, spirituality, love and obedience!

This is definitely a must read for anyone who wants to raise their kids on Christian values. Sam does a great job of relating to the common mom and dad in the 21st century. I wold recommend this book to anyone who feels like the world is the one that is raising their kids. We need to get back to being the ones who mold and develop our children.

This book gives a great perspective from the Bible on, not just discipline, but the things that need to come first (Dad's and Mom's having great relationships with God and each other, being on the same page with respect to discipline and expectations, having a atmosphere of love NOT tension in the home). I would have liked a few more practicals but a very good book on raising a child with a Biblical perspective.

OH MY GOD, THIS HAS BEEN ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ. {AND I AM AN AVID READER, AND HAVE MANY BOOKS}.IT IS JAM PACKED WITH SO MUCH INFO I HAD TO KEEP A HIGHLIGHTER WITH ME AS I READ SO I COULD REVIEW IT. ANYONE WHO IS INTERESTED IN SCIENCE, PARANORMAL OR ALIEN INFORMATION WILL LOVE THIS BOOK. THIS IS A BOOK I FEEL SHOULD BE USED FOR THE FUTURE. IT SHOULD BE A PERMENANT TOOL FOR ACADEMICS IN THE LAB. WE SHOULD BE UTILIZING THIS KIND OF INFO IN OUR DAILY LIVES. DR. BELL'S FATHER WAS A GREAT SCIENTIST AND HIS GREAT UNCLE WAS ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL. DR. BELL IS A GENIOUS, HIGHLY EDUCATED, AND A CONTACTEE BRINGING US INFORMATION FROM THE STARS. SO PLEASE OPEN YOUR MIND AND READ THIS,IT'S AMAZING !! I HONESTLY FEEL IT HAS HELPED ME THINK ABOUT THE EVERYDAY THINGS WE ALL DO. I KNOW IT WILL EFFECT YOUR LIFE IN SOME WAY. YOU WILL CONTEMPLATE YOUR LIFE IN A MUCH BROADER ASPECT ONCE YOU'VE READ THE BOOK. GOOD LUCK AND I HOPE YOU FIND IT AS ENLIGHTENING AS I DID.

Although some is hard to grasp for beginners, this book is a huge resource of information. You will learn a lot!

If you want to buy this book and there are none available on amazon you can get them on the authors website

This book has a way of making the reader consider all the possibilities that exist of seen and unseen influences, both positive and negative.

The "truth is out there" is really brought home in various chapters in this book. If what Dr Fred Bell writes is true, and I personally feel that what he reports has credence, then humanity can benefit. I am fascinated by all the explanantions from ET cover-ups to proper nutrition. Nutrition not only of what we ingest, but of "spiritual" nutrition from a cosmic point of view, free of religious dogma.

This book is a must read, I really enjoyed it.

The shocking revelations in this book are fully documented by the author, often using direct quotes from Al Gore and other hard-core environmentalists. The book is not just the opinion of one man, but is instead an academically solid piece of work, written in a very readable style. Without the documentation that is provided throughout the book, I would have found it hard to believe and may have dismissed it. Coffman also goes to great lengths to present both sides of the issues, and that makes the content and conclusions even more sobering. A real page-turner, but, unfortunately, not fiction.

Coffman clearly documents the nature of the Environmental movement and how the public has been deceived. While no one doubts we have environmental problems, Coffman shows how our media with its advocacy journalism parrots environmental myths such as cataclysmic global warming and ozone holes supposedly caused by refrigerants. Far from crying wolf, Coffman clearly documents the agenda behind the environmental movement. The media has kept the public in the dark despite many thousands of scientists and Nobel Prize winners who have criticised environmental political decisions based on pseudoscience.

Filled with information and extremely well documented this book will answer many questions for anyone now living in an enviornmentally sensitive area who is questioning if our constitution simply no longer applies. Before one commits to an eviornmental group this should be mandatory reading. For anyone interested in a free United States it is also not to be missed. I can not stress it enough that this is a very important book.

I might have rated this collection of writings higher, but didn't because there are points on which I disagree with Kierkegaard. However, where he is right, he is intensely right:
"There is a tremendous danger in which we find ourselves by being human, a danger that consists in the fact that we are placed between two tremendous powers. The choice is left to us. We must either love or hate, and not to love is to hate. So hostile are these two powers that the slightest inclination towards the one side becomes absolute opposition to the other. Let us not forget this tremendous danger in which we exist. To forget is to have made your choice." To Kierkegaard, self confident rationalism was an inadequate window on truth -- was in fact an egotistical self-deception. His seemingly counter-intuitive insistence that objective thought is inherently incomplete and uncertain has been supported in our post-modern age by principles of quantum theory. But he was less interested in being "right" than he was in existing, which for Kierkegaard meant being ready for decisive action. For him, 'actions speak louder than words,' and decision embodies greater truth than does detached rationalism. He exposes the sacred cows of "Christendom" as rotting corpses. He provokes. The thinking Christian need not agree with Kierkegaard on all fronts, so to speak, but he should not avoid these provocations. As counter-point to common, sugar coated, and silly versions of religion, they must be considered. While Kierkegaard, like Kant, can be difficult, many of these selections are powerful and certainly worthy of the effort. It is when Kierkegaard writes of love and of forgiveness that he is most profound:
"... if your life expresses the little you have understood, you speak more powerfully than all the eloquence of orators."

This is a book that will wrestle with your soul at the deepest level, yet it is written in language that will deal with your mind in the most simple terms, without demanding you to take a leap of arcane philosophical knowledge. Here is Kierkegaard for all of us: the philosopher who holds a mirror to one's innermost being and at the same time aims a Hubble telescope right at God. One way or another, this book is bound to change your life.

Where to begin studying Kierkegaard? Start with "Works of Love"! But for a generalist overview of his work, to gain a sense of the scope of Kierkegaard's vastly prodigious work as an author, to be introduced in a more thematic way to the thoughts of this thinker, start with "Provocations" (which I prefer to the Brentall anthology because it tends to weave a sense of the main burdens of SK into the fabric of the selections).

I am also happy to say that this work reads more easily than some of the earlier renditions of SK, especially for U.S. readers of the new century.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I especially like Griffin's coverage of the historical events and philisophical issues surrounding the science-religion debate. I think that he effectively discusses the history of science and the enlightnment within the context of 18th, 19th, and 20th century religiousity (i.e., deism, atheism, etc.). I also like his description of how science influenced religion and vice versa during the previous centuries. These well-constructed discussions are presented in the first few chapters.

Although I don't agree with his synthesis of science and religion (specifically, I don't like the idea of rejecting God's supernaturalism), he does a good job of educating the reader on how important issues such as supernaturalism, determinism, and free will, etc. play a role in the issue of merging the beliefs of science with religion. I sometimes found myself saying, "that is a great insight", or "Hey, I never thought about that before."

If I have to pick something I did not like it would have to be his lengthy coverage of Darwinism. He presents a discussion of this topic to support his argument, but since I don't buy into his program, I found this long discussions superfluous. But, others may find this section interesting nonetheless.

IMO, given the price, this book is well worth it.

Dave

Although I would not share as such the perspective of this book, it is a very useful and provocative exploration of many issues current evolutionary theory, as it collides with religion, cannot deal with, because its assumptions of naturalism simply eliminate the problem rather than solving it. Darwinists are often charged thus with naturalistic preconceptions, then judged by a very narrow standard on this score, and we end with miraculous explanations for punctuated equilibrium, and other nonsense. This work by taking a far broader tack stands in the line of a greater tradition of naturalism, that reminds one of the 'evolutionary naturalism' of W. Sellars, and indeed the work summons the philosopher Whitehead to this debate, from which he has been exiled. The author, for example (and this is only a part of the argument) quite audaciously brings in the issue of parapsychology, although this is and will remain problematical. Every culture of man, with the possible exception of various subcultures of the Indian yogic traditions, has been totally confused on this point, and the final confusion is the positivist attempt to declare there is no such subject. It is not surprising that science should take this approach, but the result instantly vitiates the very basis of theory, for the subject has been amputated. However, it is never promising to pursue this area lightly, and it would seem dubious to make it a basis for a new spiritual evolutionism, if the antiquated yet sound traditions of the Buddhist variety always had better sense in their emphasis, not on the marginal parapsychology, but self-consciousness itself. The book generates a kind of constructive dialectical sparring and evokes a side of modernism we forget, from the lost hermetic traditions, to the pantheism, panentheism, and such of many from Leibnitz to Hegel, whose explorations have succumbed to idealist cliches, blinding us to the degenerated condition of the current spectrum of thought. Such issues have traditionally shown little promise however and would not easily resolve the religion-science dilemmas if we consider the great theosophical deviations they would generate. The turtling down of current positivistic evolutionism is a measure of self-defense.

The author's delineation of the types of naturalism with a subscripted terminology, e.g. naturalism-sam and naturalism-ns, and darwinism-1 to darwinism-8, etc,... is clarifying and useful. The retreat to a form of naturalism-ns (no supernatural)is very acute, and would probably relieve the current concealed metaphysics in the Darwinist enterprise, whose flaws the author analyzes at great length. Very provocative book, whatever one's views of its affirmations.

The first book I read of David Ray Driffin's was "Parapsychology, Philosophy, and Spirituality: A Postmodern Exploration". That book was a real eye-opening treat. I later purchased his "Unsnarling the World-Knot: Consciousness, Freedom, and the Mind-Body Problem. Also a terrific text. Now he has continued in his pan-experientialist process mode of thought and brought out this wonderful book. Even though I sound entirely in love with his material, I'm not. It's very good and there is much to agree with, but I'm not convinced that theology (or parapsychology) has to give up the term supernatural. In any case, Griffin's books are intelligent and informative, this one is also no exception. Another, excellent recent text that may interest readers is by Huston Smith and its called "Why Religion Matters". Check them all out.

Part of the donor egg cycle for many donor egg recipients includes being on the medication Lupron. Being on Lupron for a number of weeks is like being in a twilight zone. With supressed natural hormones, one's normal functions are slowed and supressed until one is barely able to function. The hot flashes and headaches can be debilitating. Dr. Paulson does not address the issues of 1) what physical symptoms to expect when one's natural hormones are supressed and 2) how to deal with the physical symptoms. Although the book is generally informative, there is doubt left in my mind with respect to what other critical information may have been left out of the book. Dr. Paulson should have addressed the downside of Lupron therapy. I bought this book because I was searching for answers while undergoing a donor egg cycle. After the failure of my first fresh embryo transfer, I am currently undergoing downregulation for a frozen embryo transfer.

UPDATE, FEB 2004. Eighteen month-old baby boy. It was totally worth it. Found a great support group of other donor egg moms. We talk about how to respond to strangers' queries, how to make it to the next cycle, what it' like to have kids at 47, etc. Support group includes lots of folks who are just thinking about donor egg or even donor embryo.

This isn't so much a book about "Motherhood Late In Life" as it is about conception using donor eggs. As a 40+ woman pregnant for the first time (through traditional methods), I picked up this book after my first OB visit, thinking it would provide a good overview of some of the issues I might face. At the time, I didn't realize that the book was specifically about ART (assisted reproductive technology) and pregnancies through donated eggs; I assumed it was just about being an older mom. Nonetheless, once I started reading, I couldn't put the book down. It provides much more detail about the biology of conception than do any of the traditional pregnancy books. Juxtaposed with the detailed biology lessons are installments in the story of Sarah & Joe, an older (Sarah is 48; Joe is younger) couple that opts for donor egg use after years of more traditional fertility treaments. In telling the story of Sarah & Joe, the authors address the ethical issues of pregnancy in post-menopausal women in what struck me as a balanced, compassionate, and very thoughtul manner. In the Sarah/Joe story, they discuss the response Sarah & Joe elicit from family members, friends, Sarah's sister, Sarah's adult daughter from a previous relationship. Let's face it -- not everyone is going to be congratulatory & rushing to hold a baby shower for a 50 year old pregnant woman -- or a lesbian or single woman for that matter; nor do all folks embrace the idea of creating an embryo in a test tube rather than accepting whatever God apparently had in mind. And I think it would make a typical adult women a little put off to learn her mother (and her children's grandmother) was using a donor egg to become prenant again. Paulson & Sachs deal with the questions and challenges that women choosing egg donation (or even pregnancy later in life or under other non-traditional circumstances) may face, and their treatment is even-handed -- realistic, not pedantic or preachy, not utopian. I think this would be essential reading for anyone considering assistance in reproduction, especially egg donation. It would also be helpful for the friends and families of women who have elected to use donor eggs.

An instructive book about assisted reproduction in the postmenoupausal years, written with great compassion and respect for the couples contemplating such a decision. Paulson and Sachs are obviously attuned to all of the emotional and ethical, as well as practical issues, that enter into such a decision. As a clinical discourse on post-menopausal pregnancy issues it is first rate. As the journey of a fictious woman who must deal with all of the complexities of making such a decision it is an emotional and compelling story.

Falling in love with Hyung Goo Kim was the best and worst thing that ever happened to Margaret Kim Peterson. In her recently published memoir SING ME TO HEAVEN: The Story of a Marriage, Peterson does an exquisite job of explaining how both were true.

The short explanation is to say that Hyung Goo was HIV-positive. This revelation while the couple was dating threatened to dissolve their burgeoning romance for reasons that are all-too-obvious. But it was a combination of not-so-obvious reasons that ultimately brought the two together in marriage.

"I wanted so desperately to know and be known, to love and be loved, and I had never met anyone with whom that seemed like the remotest possibility. I could sense that possibility already welling around the two of us. To have said to him at that point, 'I'm sorry; would you please go away' would have felt like cutting off my arm. I just couldn't do it."

Hyung Goo's HIV-positive status accounts for the worst part of falling in love with him. With heartbreaking detail, Peterson recounts their collective descent into the hell of hospitals and medicines and painful physical deterioration when Hyung Goo officially contracted AIDS and he began his halting march towards death. This aspect of the story alone is an incredibly valuable inside look at the real work of dying with a terminal illness.

But HIV also plays an unexpectedly large role in the best part of falling in love with Hyung Goo:

"We began to see only gradually and toward the end of Hyung Goo's life the ways in which the present and anticipated grief of our marriage had contributed to the richness of our life together. The sorrows of our life had not simply detracted from our happiness, but had shaped and even contributed to that happiness. In the Spring of 1995, it was becoming clear that Hyung Goo was not going to live much longer --- maybe a year, probably less. In the midst of his worsening illness, he and I were coping together in much more cooperative and mutually supportive ways than in former days. 'It really is remarkable how far you two have come in just four years,' Martha commented to me.

She was right; but I wanted more. Where might we have been in ten years, if we had them?

'It's fruitless to ask that question,' Martha said. 'If you had ever thought you had that kind of time, you wouldn't be where you are now.'

It was impossible to see AIDS itself as good. But it was equally impossible to see that the particular good Hyung Goo and I had experienced together in the midst of AIDS could have been obtained in any other way. The requiem that we stand for one another and with one another was not something external to our marriage, like a piece of black crape draped over the frame of an otherwise sunny and cheerful picture. Our individual and shared sorrows were part of the picture itself, shadows without which the picture and its characteristic beauty would have been, if not gone, than at least altered beyond recognition."

Peterson's narrative provides an intimate and moving look at a marriage in which the looming specter of death brings present joy, love and sustaining faith into sharp relief. The couple ate dinner off their fine china every day at a table cluttered with hundreds, if not thousands, of pills and medicine bottles, reminding them why the special plates shouldn't be reserved for future occasions.

Listening to the Margaret of today reflect upon the Margaret of yesterday, it is clear Hyung Goo left her with the invaluable gift of an inculcated sense of self and stability. Indeed, the deeply therapeutic nature of this marriage is one of its most notable aspects:

"We were both looking for a love affair when we began our courtship. We wanted affection and companionship and romance and we got them; but we got something far deeper and more transformative as well ... Like Max in WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, Hyung Goo wanted most just to be where someone loved him best of all. In our marriage he found that place. I couldn't have loved him more if there had been ten of me. And the more I loved him, and the more I relaxed into his love for me, the more worthwhile and competent he felt; until in the last year of his life he had settled into a confident, gentle, joyful, sense of himself as a man and as a husband."

There are love stories and then there are love stories. The former are as pleasant as they are predictable and they tend to be thoroughly forgettable. The latter earn their italics with uniquely honest depictions of the predicament of being in love. These tales have the ability to transcend their specifics to address larger issues of what it means to be human, and they have the uncanny ability to take up residence in the mind (and heart) of their readers. SING ME TO HEAVEN is a love story with italics.

--- Reviewed by Lisa Ann Cockrel

In a time when marriage and commitment are seen as temporary, optional, and convenience driven, Margaret Kim Peterson's insights into her own marriage seem particularly valuable. The issue of AIDS, and our response to the disease and the individuals afflicted with it also raises many important points. This is a must read, you will be affected by this book!

Thank you, Margaret Kim Peterson, for sharing your own very special true story. Your writing style is brilliant and deserving of praise. I was captivated from the beginning.

Sing Me To Heaven, the Story of a Marriage, is the perfect title. It is a unique story written by an obviously gifted author who, in an intelligent and sincere way, details her memories of shared times and solitary times during her marriage to a fine young man who had the misfortune to be HIV positive.

I find the book to be thought provoking. Read it as I did, with an open mind, and you'll see.