{"id":5966,"date":"2026-04-01T10:18:53","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T10:18:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=5966"},"modified":"2026-04-01T10:18:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T10:18:53","slug":"glimpses-of-grace-by-judith-bowen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=5966","title":{"rendered":"Glimpses of Grace by Judith Bowen"},"content":{"rendered":"

A delightful collection of emotionally soothing essays that celebrate one woman\u2019s lifelong commitment to care, compassion, and creativity<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In this endearing collection of short essays, Judith Bowen shares a lifetime of wisdom and insight. Years of work as an occupational therapist and healing touch practitioner honed Bowen\u2019s gifts for listening and really hearing what those around her experienced, the highs and lows and everything in between. Meanwhile, her pursuit of creative outlets like writing and painting provided an opportunity for expression.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Still, the shadow of macular degeneration and impending vision loss prompted Bowen to reflect and write Glimpses of Grace: Doorways to Transformation<\/em>. Her place in these vignettes shifts fluidly between child and adult, wife and mother, friend and career professional, making her an easy person to identify with for anyone wearing multiple hats and lurching from crisis to crisis.<\/p>\n

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Overall, Bowen\u2019s pragmatism and clear-eyed tendency to meet people where they are may seem pie-in-the-sky at first. After all, these are typically uplifting essays with a kernel of learning.\u00a0 But it soon becomes clear that what Bowen writes about are hard-won victories that allow for peaceful living and resilience.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Good Ones\u201d is a stand-out piece that dives deeper into Bowen\u2019s life. It highlights important figures who helped push her forward and emphasizes the ripple effects others have in our lives. Bowen moves through these brief recollections like a ViewMaster card, stepping into one scene and then another. Educators, clinicians, doctors, and healers show Bowen a kaleidoscope of ways to see, be seen, and to act in meaningful ways.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Growing Place\u201d is a soft-focus reveal of Bowen\u2019s first days with the new Korean-born daughter she picked up from the airport in 1973. Bowen knew no more Korean than a list of essential words and phrases, while toddler Mary knew no English. Adjusting to this new relationship wasn\u2019t easy for either of them until a moment of clarity, like the sun shining through the clouds, gave them a welcome turning point.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSpaces Between\u201d gently explores the gaps between age groups, cultures, geography, and even families through NPR stories, doctor\u2019s office visits, and COVID lockdowns. Rather than dig in our heels and focus on what we\u2019re not getting, Bowen suggests we emphasize giving grace. Acceptance, love, and understanding go a long way in preventing these spaces from becoming canyons that hinder communication and connection.<\/p>\n

Through it all, Bowen\u2019s ability in descriptive passages keeps her stories as lively as they are inspiring. A straightforward narrative style makes it easy to root for her in the early days of motherhood and revel in the close relationships she has with her mother and grandmother. Strong storytelling drives these essays full-circle while also generating a gentle echo that compassionately reverberates throughout the book. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Glimpses of Grace<\/em>\u2019s biggest appeal comes in how down-to-earth Bowen is. Hearts will break alongside hers when she talks about her much-loved dogs. Her deft approach to young Mary\u2019s questions about her birth mother is wise yet incredibly gentle toward her child\u2019s concerns and innocence. And a touching conversation between Bowen and her mother demonstrates that the depth and purity of a mother\u2019s love doesn\u2019t ever change, no matter how old we get.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Criss-crossing time, space, and experience, Bowen\u2019s work is a soothing balm for a long spiritual winter\u2014a moving collection of inspiration for daily living.<\/p>\n

The post Glimpses of Grace by Judith Bowen<\/a> appeared first on Independent Book Review<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A delightful collection of emotionally soothing essays that celebrate one woman\u2019s lifelong commitment to care, compassion, and creativity In this endearing collection of short essays, Judith Bowen shares a lifetime of wisdom and insight. Years of work as an occupational therapist and healing touch practitioner honed Bowen\u2019s gifts for listening and really hearing what those […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bookreviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5966"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5966"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5966\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}