Everyday Sacred: A Woman's Journey Home

WITH SIMPLE SHIFTS OF PERCEPTION, EACH OF US CAN FIND THE SACRED IN EVERY DAY.

Like the vibrant yet simple quilts that led her to live within the Amish community and to write about the experience in her bestselling book 'Plain and Simple', the em

WITH SIMPLE SHIFTS OF PERCEPTION, EACH OF US CAN FIND THE SACRED IN EVERY DAY.

Like the vibrant yet simple quilts that led her to live within the Amish community and to write about the experience in her bestselling book 'Plain and Simple', the em

Library Journal

Applying the symbolism of the empty Zen begging bowl, Bender graciously shares another leg of her spiritual journey, the previous being her stay with the Amish recorded in her best seller, Plain and Simple (HarperCollins, 1989). Listening to the author (who also serves as reader), one has to admire her zest for life and determination for self-discovery as she recounts the experiences that filled her bowl daily and revealed the sacred. She learned that miracles can and do occur when we accept whatever happens to us each day, work from the heart, do less, and listen and relax more. She tells of the power in small things, the beauty in imperfection, and the boundless effects of generosity. Bender's findings are pure and simple and not unheard of; however, it is the fresh context in which she places them that makes Everyday Sacred a special and unique program. Recommended for inspirational collections.-Barbara J. Vaughan, State Univ. Coll. at Buffalo Lib., N.Y.

Sue Bender is the author of Plain and Simple: A Woman's Journey to the Amish (HarperSanFrancisco). The book was a New York Times bestseller. A fascination with Amish quilts led Sue to live with the Amish in their seemingly timeless world, a landscape of immense inner quiet. This privilege, rarely bestowed upon outsiders, taught her about simplicity and commitment and the contentment that comes from accepting who you are. In this inspiring book, Bender shares the lessons she learned while in the presence of the Amish people.

In Everyday Sacred: A Woman's Journey Home (HarperSanFrancisco: now in its sixth printing), Bender speaks to our longing to make each day truly count. She chronicles her struggle to bring the joyful wisdom and simplicity she experienced in her sojourn with the Amish back to her hectic, too-much-to-do days at home. Bender discovers for herself, and in the process shows us, that small miracles can be found everywhere'in our homes, in our daily activities and, hardest to see, in ourselves.

Profiles and interviews with Ms. Bender, as well as book excerpts have been published in countless national publications including Reader's Digest, The Washington Post, Ladies' Home Journal, The Chicago Tribune, The Utne Reader, and W Magazine. She has also appeared as a guest on dozens of radio and television shows.

Born in New York City, Sue Bender received her BA from Simmons College and her MA from the Harvard University School of Education. She taught high school in New York and English at the Berlitz School in Switzerland. She later earned a Masters in Social Work from the University of California at Berkeley. During her active years as a family therapist, Bender was founder and Director of CHOICE: The Institute of the Middle Years. In addition to being an author and former therapist, Sue Bender is a ceramic artist and much sought after lecturer nationwide. She lives in Berkeley, California with her husband Richard, and is the mother of two grown sons.