A Cross ... and Through

Shalimar Masters

Approx. size 5.25"x8.5"
90 pages
Paperback


Throughout history there are countless examples of great saints; saints who performed great heroic deeds, converted nations, suffered tortures, died as martyrs. Sometimes I have looked at this magnificent tapestry of lives and thought, where do I fit into this picture?

I, like most others, may never be called to convert a nation or die a martyr's death. However, I have discovered that even in my simple life as wife and mother, my small sufferings and sacrifices can feel like great tortures and heroic deeds. And sometimes, the cross can even seem so overwhelming that I am tempted to despair. Over the past ten years I have met many persons with similar feelings.

Like them, I too, kept many of my struggles to myself; struggles like postpartum depression, spiritual darkness, loneliness and betrayal. But instead of sealing the despair within, I journaled what I was experiencing in the form of poetry, many times when I didn't know what else to do. The cross felt so heavy! But then, I found I could also write about times of conversion and joy, experiences that have been deeply significant to me. My journal became the basis for this book of poetry.

This book chronicles my journey: reconversion to the Faith in my early 20s facilitated by living in community, my vocation as wife and mother, my struggles as I attempt to carry my cross of depression, migraines, and brokenness, and the victories and joys that I have experienced with God's grace.

My prayer is that you will find inspiration and comfort in knowing that there are others who have similar struggles and joys in the everyday life, and that although at times the cross may seem too heavy and the darkness too close, with God's grace, we come across and through all difficulties to final victory in Him.

Shalimar Masters