My Monastery is a Minivan: 35 Stories from a Real Life - Softcover

Roy, Denise

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0829416870 ISBN 13: 9780829416879

Publisher: Loyola University Press,U.S., 2001

Synopsis

One person's car pool is another person's pilgrimage

In My Monastery Is a Minivan, Denise Roy offers thirty-five entertaining and touching stories that show how family moments can bring the greatest spiritual rewards. We find everything we need for spiritual growth as we picnic with the children, go to the grocery store, and pick up the morning paper. Denise's intimate approach invites us to recognize the grace that exists within our own lives. We needn't pull over and look for enlightenment; the divine is always present, even in the car-pool lane.

 

Stories of finding wisdom in the everyday

 

God is in the silence and also in the noise. Spirit is in stillness and also in silliness. The Sacred is in the monastery and also in the minivan.

“I don't know how it is that days filled with children and noise and mess and clutter can seem endless, and then, when the kids are grown, it can seem as if those same days passed ever too quickly. I don't know how many billions of stars are up in the sky or how suffering can hold the seeds of resurrection. I don't know how to answer all my children's questions, or my own. I don't know how to completely let go.

Life keeps inviting me to learn these things, presenting me each and every day with opportunities for growth. And it does seem that when I open my eyes and heart to others, I begin to recognize something that has been there all along. It feels like a presence, a light, a love that is unbounded by time or space or matter. It moves within us and among us, healing us, filling us, calling us to recognize that what we seek is right here in our midst.”
—From My Monastery Is a Minivan

 

“I was thrilled to discover a soul sister in Denise Roy.  This book will be a wonderful companion to any parent, whatever their faith tradition.”

—Rabbi Nancy Fuchs-Kreimer, author, Parenting as a Spiritual Journey

“This is the kind of book that makes you want to grab all your friends and say, 'You've got to read this!' This collection of inspirational stories will lift your spirits and soothe your soul. Denise Roy's minivan wisdom invites you to discover the sacred right smack in the middle of ordinary life.”

—Steve and Patt Saso, authors, 10 Best Gifts for Your Teen

“The humor and honesty of Denise Roy's writing pulled me in right away. If you are not a saint but an ordinary man or woman hoping to live the joys and trials of daily life with your eyes and your heart wide open to the sacred, this is a book for you.”

—Oriah Mountain Dreamer, author, The Invitation and The Dance

“Some people can hold up a lens to life that reveals the depth and beauty all around us. Denise Roy is that kind of person, and spending time reading the stories that fill her book is like spending time with a wise friend who brightens your life.”

—Tom McGrath, family-life editor, U.S. Catholic, author, Raising Faith-Filled Kids 

About this title

About the Author

Denise Roy is a mother of four, a psychotherapist, a spiritual director, and the founder of FamilySpirit, an organization that nurtures spirituality in families. She received her master of divinity from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, California. She and her family live in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she spends a good deal of time in her minivan.

From the Back Cover

One person s car pool is another person s pilgrimage

In My Monastery Is a Minivan, Denise Roy offers thirty-five entertaining and touching stories that show how family moments can bring the greatest spiritual rewards. We find everything we need for spiritual growth as we picnic with the children, go to the grocery store, and pick up the morning paper. Denise s intimate approach invites us to recognize the grace that exists within our own lives. We needn t pull over and look for enlightenment; the divine is always present, even in the car-pool lane. I was thrilled to discover a soul sister in Denise Roy. This book will be a wonderful companion to any parent, whatever their faith tradition. Rabbi Nancy Fuchs-Kreimer, author, Parenting as a Spiritual Journey

This is the kind of book that makes you want to grab all your friends and say, You ve got to read this! This collection of inspirational stories will lift your spirits and soothe your soul. Denise Roy s minivan wisdom invites you to discover the sacred right smack in the middle of ordinary life. Steve and Patt Saso, authors, 10 Best Gifts for Your Teen

The humor and honesty of Denise Roy s writing pulled me in right away. If you are not a saint but an ordinary man or woman hoping to live the joys and trials of daily life with your eyes and your heart wide open to the sacred, this is a book for you. Oriah Mountain Dreamer, author, The Invitation and The Dance

One person s car pool is another person s pilgrimage

In My Monastery Is a Minivan, Denise Roy offers thirty-five entertaining and touching stories that show how family moments can bring the greatest spiritual rewards. We find everything we need for spiritual growth as we picnic with the children, go to the grocery store, and pick up the morning paper. Denise s intimate approach invites us to recognize the grace that exists within our own lives. We needn t pull over and look for enlightenment; the divine is always present, even in the car-pool lane.

I was thrilled to discover a soul sister in Denise Roy. This book will be a wonderful companion to any parent, whatever their faith tradition.

Rabbi Nancy Fuchs-Kreimer, author, Parenting as a Spiritual Journey
This is the kind of book that makes you want to grab all your friends and say, You ve got to read this! This collection of inspirational stories will lift your spirits and soothe your soul. Denise Roy s minivan wisdom invites you to discover the sacred right smack in the middle of ordinary life.

Steve and Patt Saso, authors, 10 Best Gifts for Your Teen
The humor and honesty of Denise Roy s writing pulled me in right away. If you are not a saint but an ordinary man or woman hoping to live the joys and trials of daily life with your eyes and your heart wide open to the sacred, this is a book for you.

Oriah Mountain Dreamer, author,
The Invitation and The Dance

From the Inside Flap

Stories of finding
wisdom in the everyday

God is in the silence and also in
the noise. Spirit is in stillness and
also in silliness. The Sacred is in the
monastery and also in the minivan.


I don t know how it is that days filled with children and noise and mess and clutter can seem endless, and then, when the kids are grown, it can seem as if those same days passed ever too quickly. I don t know how many billions of stars are up in the sky or how suffering can hold the seeds of resurrection. I don t know how to answer all my children s questions, or my own. I don t know how to completely let go.

Life keeps inviting me to learn these things, presenting me each and every day with opportunities for growth. And it does seem that when I open my eyes and heart to others, I begin to recognize something that has been there all along. It feels like a presence, a light, a love that is unbounded by time or space or matter. It moves within us and among us, healing us, filling us, calling us to recognize that what we seek is right here in our midst.
From My Monastery Is a Minivan

Some people can hold up a lens to life that reveals the depth and beauty all around us. Denise Roy is that kind of person, and spending time reading the stories that fill her book is like spending time with a wise friend who brightens your life.

Tom McGrath, family-life editor, U.S. Catholic, author, Raising Faith-Filled Kids

Edition details

• Publisher: Loyola University Press,U.S.
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0829416870
• ISBN 13: 9780829416879
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224