by Patti Maguire Armstrong and Theresa Thomas
New Rochelle, NY: Scepter Publishers, 2013
Patti Maguire Armstrong and Theresa Thomas, who previously
paired up to write and compile the wonderful “Stories for the Homeschool
Heart,” have now come together to create “Big-Hearted: Inspiring Stories from
Everyday Families.”
What makes a family big-hearted? It is a spirit of
generosity with a focus on putting God first. “The families in this book
[share] the goal of striving to put God first, of trying to love well.” The
authors encourage those who want to have big-hearted families to “sacrifice
much. Choose God’s will. Love profusely. Be big-hearted. And then see how our
almighty God, who is the same now as always, blesses you again and again.”
Armstrong and Thomas share their own experiences of being
part of big-hearted families growing up and then creating their own version of
such a family once they married and began to have children. This is not a two
women project, however. Many other voices weigh in and share powerful, and
sometimes difficult stories, of the struggle to love generously and be open to
life.
Thomas Mahala shares his story of fearing having a child
with Down Syndrome. When his 8th child and first daughter after
seven sons was born with an extra chromosome, he struggled to love her, but
with time and God’s grace, that love came. Calvin Bader shares he and his
wife’s struggle with infertility and how they became foster and adoptive
parents. DeeAnn Smith writes of her struggles with alcoholism and what it meant
to have the unconditional love of her children as she worked to get well.
Jeffery Gross highlights the life of his son who was born with cystic fibrosis
and who also suffered from muscular dystrophy. Sherry Antonetti focuses on the
adventure of taking a trip with ten children. These are just some of the stories featured.
Light-hearted stories balance heart-wrenching ones, but each
of the families featured in the pages of “Big-Hearted” have something to teach
all of us about the power of love and the importance of putting God first in
our family life.
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