This booklet is very near and dear to Karen and me because it seems that every single month brings word of another friend or family member who is facing a life-threatening illness of some form or another.  When our friend and children's class teacher got breast cancer a month or so ago, Karen and I did a quick inventory and realized that close to half of our friends had faced death in the last few years and not all of them had survived. If you are over 40, then you are probably facing the same statistics. For this reason, the need for healing physical, emotional, and spiritual, is on the minds of just about everyone you know. 

Karen put this book of prayers and quotations together as a tool to help people deal with the stress and uncertainty of illness.  Rather than produce another comprehensive compilation of quotations about the body, her goal was to provide hope, comfort and reassurance for both patients and their loved ones.

Starting with an explanation of the spiritual benefits of suffering, it goes on to explain the interconnectedness of the mind, soul and body, the virtues that help us face tests, the medical and spiritual tools we use to heal sickness, and the support and compassion we should offer to others who suffer. A brief section on life after death is also included for those whose illnesses are grave, and a collection of healing prayers for those who recognize God's role in their healing.

Give it away at health fairs, county fairs, nursing homes, day-care centers, hospital chapels, doctor's offices. Carry them with you for friends who mention their own health or someone else's. Mail them as get-well cards.