About the Book
Author: Mary Bruce
Genre: Personal Growth
Release Date: May 12, 2020
A woman may have many names and many titles, but “widow” is not necessarily one she plans for. And when the unexpected happens, she is thrust into the role of being the captain of her ship, the decision-maker, and the one solely responsible for the direction of her and her family’s future. The emotions a widow experiences as she faces her life from this new position of aloneness are as varied and unique as each widow is. But what all widows share is a calling to be a leader in the midst of the chaos of the death of their husbands.
In Widowhood: A Calling to Leadership, Mary Bruce encourages widows to embrace their new role with hope and to unashamedly rely on the resources God provides to sustain them through his Spirit and through his body, the church. She illuminates for church leaders how to direct and mentor widows in their church families and how to provide these women with opportunities to express their new God-given calling of leadership.
This book will give you a fresh perspective on widowhood. It will help widows to see the energy they possess as fuel for godly leadership, and it will help church leaders to see their widows as esteemed gifts instead of burdens.
Click here to get your copy!
About the Author
Mary Bruce is a registered nurse, a former homeschooling mother, and a widow since the weekend before 9/11. Born and raised in Waterbury, Connecticut, she still resides there and works as an associate pastor. In the early 1990s, she initiated a grassroots movement to pray in Connecticut on the National Day of Prayer. Since then she has served as a state coordinator for the National Day of Prayer Task Force and is currently its National Area Leader for the nine northeast states.
More from Mary
I can say that, during the 2001/2002 school year, for 360 of 365 days that is exactly what I learned to do, wake up with a new start. Mine was the school of hard knocks. After 9/11, there were many of us who found ourselves on a daily automatic wake-up call before sunrise. No alarm clock was involved. Perhaps it was the stress of a new start for so many. It’s not like we went to bed super early so we could wake up early. Sleeping just wasn’t the same.
For me, by the time daylight started , I was already sitting on the steps of our back porch, waiting to greet the day, watching the eastern skies over the 5 acre mowed field behind our house. Each morning I would grab a cup of coffee, my journal, a pen and my Bible, wrap myself in winter coat and blankets and sit there waiting: waiting on the sunrise, acknowledging the earth’s stillness, waiting for some revelation from God or insight into my own life situation. It was not a worrisome time, that came later in the day. It was just a sitting and waiting time. Even my reading would have to wait until the dawn’s early light grew sufficient to see the print. There was nothing to interrupt, to distract from that alone time of solitude and meditation.
Then, like a shot in the dark, the 7am bell would ring out from high school across the street, a roar of automobile sounds would drift over the house, and the magic quiet spell would be broken.
In those early moments, I saw things I had been too busy to notice before. In spring, I watched fog roll over the field, literally roll on the grass from east to west, from the field to the road. In summer, I noticed nearly a whole year of early mornings without pouring rain. Pouring rain was my only hindrance to sitting outside. In autumn, I saw a female doe pulling apples off the low branches and her 3 young charges dancing on hind legs trying to reach the apples. In winter, I realized that I could sit out in freezing weather, when I did not even like to walk from the house to the car in the cold. I learned to take the outward opening storm door off before the snow fell, so that I could just open the inside door and step out. I said, “Good morning” to the Maker of the universe as my first spoken words of the day.
I don’t think I was alone. 2001 was a hard year for many widows. I was fortunate to spend each start of the day with the Maker, appreciating his faithfulness, which is new every morning - a new start. “Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” NLT Lam. 3:23
Author Interview
Please give us a little introduction to your
book.
Mary: This book is about an opportunity for widows to see themselves as the
leaders they become upon the death of their spouse. It is also directed toward church leaders and
others who desire to help widows but may still be functioning with Old
Testament perceptions of women, widows and their roles in a community.
What was the most surprising thing you
discovered while researching and writing this book?
Mary:The most surprising thing was the
uniqueness of each person’s grief.
How long did it take you to write this
book?
Mary: This
was a compilation of 19 years of widowhood journaling, and 4 years of actual
writing.
Do you have a favorite quote from this
book?
Mary: “All widows begin second lives.” Dorothy Gilman, The Amazing Mrs. Polifax.
What do you hope readers take away from
your book?
Mary: For widows: a sense of camaraderie knowing
they are not alone in the feelings they think or experience, for church
leaders: a deeper understanding of ways to help widows develop their leadership
skills.
Are you working on another book now?
Mary: Yes, a
book about the city in which I grew up.
Would you share something about yourself
that most readers wouldn’t know?
Mary: I loved to ice skate until I fell wearing
brand new skates that had a flaw on the tongue of the shoe. A ride in an
ambulance that I don’t remember, age and a daughter who cares brought that love
to a stop.
In what setting do you enjoy writing the
most?
Mary: I enjoy writing inside, in silence, early
mornings with occasional interruptions from my cat.
What do you like to do when you aren’t
writing?
Mary: I enjoy prayer walking the neighborhood,
visiting statehouses and historical buildings, being with family, cooking.
What do you wish you’d known when you were
younger?
Mary: I wish I had understood the value of words,
that only two things can come out of my mouth:
blessings or cursings, positive or negative words and that all words
have a powerful effect.
What are you reading now?
Mary: Pachinko by MinJinLee
Who is an author you would recommend to
anyone and everyone?
Mary: C.S.Lewis
Where can readers find out more about you
and your book?
Mary: www.widowhoodbook.org
Blog Stops
Beauty in the Binding, September 6 (Author Interview)
Inklings and notions, September 7
Through the Fire Blogs, September 8 (Author Interview)
deb’s Book Review, September 8
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 9
For the Love of Literature, September 10 (Author Interview)
Texas Book-aholic, September 11
For Him and My Family, September 12
Simple Harvest Reads, September 13 (Author Interview)
By The Book, September 14 (Author Interview)
Mary Hake, September 14
Artistic Nobody, September 15 (Guest Review from Joni Truex)
Sara Jane Jacobs, September 16
Locks, Hooks and Books, September 17
Ashley’s Bookshelf, September 18
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Mary is giving away the grand prize package of a $20 Amazon gift card and a signed copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
Title: A Love Redeemed
