The God Box: Sharing My Mother's Gift of Faith, Love and Letting Go

Quinlan's mother was a woman of strong faith who wrote notes to God during the last 20 years of her life, dating and signing many with "Love, Mary." Although her family was aware of these notes, when they discovered ten containers of them after her death, they were astonished at the revelations, hopes, and memories contained therein. An inspirational speaker, Quinlan reminisces about her beloved mother and details the pleas, prayers, and thanks she presented to God on napkins, scraps of newspaper, coasters, and business cards. The supplications span a wealth of emotions and quotidian concerns%E2%80%94from asking that Oprah might pay attention to her daughter's writing (it worked), to begging God to "Please take care of poor, sick, gentle Mandy," the family dog. Interspersed with Quinlan's narrative are color photos of Mary's notes, which the author maintains helped her to understand the "breadth of her empathy," explaining that her mother "inhaled a worry" and "exhaled a prayer." Though sometimes overly sentimental, the book is saturated with Quinlan's mother's charming personality%E2%80%94Mary would even caution family members that "if you think you can handle it better than God, [the note]'s coming out." Even for readers not inclined to bow their heads and pray, Mary's God boxes speak to the power of faith, hope, and family. Photos. (Apr.)