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Forward Clarion Book Review "Because bookstore shelves are saturated with these so-called self-help books, it is hard to recognize one of such high caliber as Annette Stanwick's book, Forgiveness." "In March 1999, Annette Stanwick was informed that her brother Soren was brutally murdered. After her initial feelings of horror and denial she wanted to know who murdered her brother and why. Her anger increased and she became obsessed with the idea of finding the killer. She began to experience nightmarish images and flashes in her mind of representations of Soren's murder.".... ...Through counseling, meditation, and prayer, Stanwick attained the forgiveness that was instrumental in healing what she calls "woundedness." She writes, "Healing cannot just be theoretical rhetoric. Healing has to be an experience if it is effective... Grieving losses may cause anger to surface, fears to rise and tears to flow, but these are essential components if healing is to be successful." Stanwick shares biographical information in each chapter and gives the reader a chance to use the information in the end sections of the chapters, called "Personal Application," "Exploration," and "Prayer." Her faith in God is genuine. She believes that she cannot be an agent of healing without His guidance. Even when she finally confronts her brother's murderer she asks God to help her to forgive him. She writes, "I felt God's heart beat of forgiveness deep in my own soul... acceptance and forgiveness had permeated and infused every cell of my body. I felt love pouring over me like soothing, fragrant, warm oil." Readers will find her faith refreshingly reassuring. With her nursing background, education, personal experiences, and leadership abilities, Stanwick has written an inspirational book for readers who are dealing with any type of loss. There is no guile or hidden agenda within her book. She makes no promises and doesn't sugarcoat the difficulty involved in any type of forgiveness.
IP Book Reviewers This book is an incredible first-person story that is written with total honesty as the author reveals her innermost feelings in regard to giving and receiving forgiveness. Readers will relate to Annette Stanwick as she struggles through the various phases of the grieving process. They will learn that it is permissible to be angry with God because He understands a broken heart. As she tells us about several family tragedies, it is easy to see how the choices made by others can affect those around them. There is a difference between joyous living and simply going on with life. When Annette chose to personally and publicly forgive those involved in the murder of her brother, she found inner peace and a way to honor her brother's memory by taking the message of forgiveness to others, even interacting with lifers in prisons. If you are struggling to forgive someone, or you need to seek forgiveness, this is a book that will help you move from the past into a living and giving future. Regardless of the depth of the wounds, the author has the sincere desire to help you with the healing process. At the end of each chapter, in order to make this book more personal to you, Mrs. Stanwick provides three sections entitled: Personal Application, Exploration, and Prayer. .... Forgiveness: The Mystery and Miracle is definitely a must-read when it comes to healing and finding freedom and peace!
The Carillon
Dec.07/Jan.08 Annette Stanwick, author of the book, FORGIVENESS: Thy Mystery and Miracle, tugged at my heart strings when she shared her story of being released from the anger and pain of her brother's tragic murder... Her story enabled me to revisit the mystery and miracle of forgiveness... Healing needs to be experiential to be effective, Annette says. After a person grieved his or her losses, a sense of compassion for the one who caused the hurt may develop. "While compassion does not justify their actions, it can be very helpful when you begin to understand that the hurtful one may be stuck in their own woundedness". ...Individuals who sense compassion for the one who caused them hurt are able to commence letting go of the wound, enabling them to move towards forgiveness... Annette points out that "when people find a way to forgive, they become more open to receiving joy, love and satisfaction in their life." She indicates that the healing process involves finding a means to serve others, in spite of the wound. Writing her book enabled her to become transformed by forgiveness. In her book, she states, "I will let you glimpse how God used the aftermath of a human atrocity to transform my undeserving heart, setting me in a direction, I would have never chosen on my own."
City Light News -
Oct. 07 After her brother was murdered, Stanwick longed for release from the anger and pain. As her spirit struggled to survive the horror of the tragedy, she realized she could choose to forgive. Through this choice, she found healing along with a strong desire to help others find healing as well... The book flows well. It can be used individually as well as for group discussions. Each chapter deals with a specific topic. At the end of each chapter, Stanwick has provided a section entitled Personal Application intending to provide insights that the reader can apply to their particular situation. A section entitled Exploration follows with questions that assist in reflection on one's own experience. This reflection can be personal or group-based. If you or someone you know struggles with forgiveness, this book will help.
Kirkus Discoveries A Christian self-help guide to forgiveness. FORGIVENESS: The Mystery and Miracle, offers rare insight into personal nature and devastating effects of capital crimes... A trenchant account of one women's spiritual reckoning with her brother's killer.
ForeWard Magazine "Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it." - Mark Twain Most self-help books are found to be lacking. They tend to leave people feeling lost and cold and incomplete because they cannot identify with the jargon that is meant to provide enlightenment and comfort. Some readers become addicted to purchasing self-help books. They hope that the next book they buy will magically erase all of their problems. Like any addiction, self-help books become wasted investments of time, money, and emotion. Because bookstore shelves are saturated with these so-called self-help books, it is hard to recognize one of such high caliber as Annette Stanwick's book, Forgiveness. In March 1999, Annette Stanwick was informed that her brother Soren was brutally murdered. After her initial feelings of horror and denial she wanted to know who murdered her brother and why. Her anger increased and she became obsessed with the idea of finding the killer. She began to experience nightmarish images and flashes in her mind of representations of Soren's murder. Stanwick and her husband realized that she needed help. Through counseling, meditation, and prayer, Stanwick attained the forgiveness that was instrumental in healing what she calls "woundedness." She writes, "Healing cannot just be theoretical rhetoric. Healing has to be an experience if it is effective... Grieving losses may cause anger to surface, fears to rise and tears to flow, but these are essential components if healing is to be successful." Stanwick shares biographical information in each chapter and gives the reader a chance to use the information in the end sections of the chapters, called "Personal Application," "Exploration," and "Prayer." Her faith in God is genuine. She believes that she cannot be an agent of healing without His guidance. Even when she finally confronts her brother's murderer she asks God to help her to forgive him. She writes, "I felt God's heart beat of forgiveness deep in my own soul... acceptance and forgiveness had permeated and infused every cell of my body. I felt love pouring over me like soothing, fragrant, warm oil." Readers will find her faith refreshingly reassuring. With her nursing background, education, personal experiences, and leadership abilities, Stanwick has written an inspirational book for readers who are dealing with any type of loss. There is no guile or hidden agenda within her book. She makes no promises and doesn't sugarcoat the difficulty involved in any type of forgiveness.
A Healing Encounter I was inspired to write this tribute because I had a distinct privilege of meeting author, Annette Stanwick in person. Originally, I am from Ethiopia but now I live in Houston, TX. I make a living by driving a cab. Among the many advantages of my job I have the opportunity to meet people from different walks of life. As a common courtesy in this business we break the ice by exchanging pleasantries, and then proceed to more substantive conversation. It took Annette approximately half an hour to get to her hotel. On our way she called the hotel early in the trip to see if she could check in early. Once that call was complete, we began conversing. She asked if I was from Ethiopia. I was surprised by her correct guess, which is not the case for many of my first-time clients. I said, "You must be good at Geography," but she replied that she had lived in Ethiopia for three years in the late 70's. Naturally, if people have something in common chances are they communicate well. Although her experience in Ethiopia certainly aided in the discussion, that was not the factor that made me write this article. In the middle of our conversation I happened to mention the theme of the need for forgiveness in the context of the darkest chapter of my country's history called the "Red Terror" that Annette witnessed firsthand. What a coincidence to learn that she is the author of a book that deals with forgiveness, the same theme I mentioned. From that moment, I could not help opening the pandora box of my own vicarious trauma experience as a refugee. Her sympathetic ear was disarming. Given the taxi environment was not ideal, and the distractions while driving on a free way, she managed to turn a brief interaction into a therapeutic session. It is a testimony to her gift to put her clients at ease, giving them the freedom to open up. I was impressed with her command of the subject and her ability to communicate in layman terms. I said to my self she must touch people on a daily basis in her interactions and through her book. Wikipedia defines social entrepreneurship as "the work of a social entrepreneur. A social entrepreneur is someone who recognizes a social problem and uses entrepreneurial principles to organize, create, and manage a venture to make social change. Whereas a business entrepreneur typically measures performance in profit and return; a social entrepreneur assesses success in terms of the impact s/he has on society. While social entrepreneurs often work through nonprofits and citizen groups, many work in the private and governmental sectors.In the context of the above definition she is an unknown quantity because no one knows her level of impact. From my brief interaction with Annette, I came away with valuable pieces of advice and gained some insight in how to deal with the ordeal I have been through which haunts me with flashbacks, particularly the subject of survivor guilt, which is puzzling me. I am reading her book, FORGIVENESS: THE MYSTERY AND MIRACLE. It is needless to say how useful this book will turn out to be for me personally and for others as I share it with folks I know who have been in traumatic situations. Thank you for everything, I wish you all the best and look forward to hearing your next big thing. Bezabeh
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Mystery and Miracle is profoundly touching and transforming. |
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Annette Stanwick