There are some women who don’t have a desire to get married and have children. However, Samantha was not one of them. Many women in their late 30s and early 40s postpone marriage or childbearing to obtain their education, establish their careers, and become financially secure. Unfortunately, this sometimes leads to difficulties in finding Mr. Right or conceiving (or both). This can be an arduous and heartbreaking time of life, when it seems lifelong hopes and dreams of family may not be possible. Samantha delayed marriage until the age of 36 after she’d pursued advanced degrees and established her career—not entirely by choice since Mr. Right hadn’t entered her life sooner. At times she wondered if it would ever happen. Once married, she and her husband wanted kids right away, only to suffer a miscarriage and the devastating diagnosis of infertility. In this book, Samantha shares her extraordinary journey of hope. You will discover how her faith in God and perseverance led her to the right husband and overcoming infertility to have their first baby at 40. Don’t give up on your dreams, whatever they are. You still have time. Author Dr. Samantha Fitts is an educator/specialist (special education, literacy, education leadership, and adult learning), professional development presenter, and motivator. She has been in education for over twenty years. She is extremely passionate about helping others reach their professional and personal goals in life. For more information, visit www.samanthafitts.com

Something happened there that is too rare among men: We touched the soul, and we touched heaven. The encounter put fire in my bones and brought a deep humility to know that God was at work in this crazy project of mine.Hiking from Georgia to Maine sounds incredulous to most. To Lon Chenowith, it is a journey that calls him into the wild--a journey that reveals true tests of faith and will in the direst circumstances. What began as a dream in his teens to trek the Appalachian Trail takes flight with a preliminary hike with his two young boys from Amicalola Falls to Unicoi Gap. The initial intrigue wears off, and Lon quickly realizes he will be making a long, arduous journey alone, save for a few hiking partners and unique characters met along the way. As a section-hiker, Lon, best known as the Arkansas Traveler, spans the course of fourteen years, climbing 237 mountains in a backcountry with a culture all its own. The romance of trekking across the mountains quickly wears off, and the presence of God teaches him perseverance and faith. While at times lonesome and hard, the undeniable urge to return to nature keeps Lon climbing and chronicling his Five Million Steps.

M. J. Eberhart, aka the Nimblewill Nomad, was a 60-year-old retired doctor in January 1998 when he set off on a foot journey that carried him 4,400 miles (twice the length of the Appalachian Trail) from the Florida Keys to the far north of Quebec. Written in a vivid journal style, the author unabashedly recounts the good (friendships with other hikers he met), the bad (sore legs, cutting winds and rain), and the godawful (those dispiriting doubts) aspects of his days of walking along what has since become known as the Eastern Continental Trail (ECT). An amazing tale of self-discovery and insight into the magic that reverberates from intense physical exertion and a high goal, Eberhart’s is the only written account of a thru-hike along the ECT. Covering 16 states and 2 Canadian provinces, Ten Million Steps deftly mixes practical considerations of an almost unimaginable undertaking with the author’s trademark humor and philosophical musings.

Are we ever ready to say goodbye? She looked out into the yard sprinkled with spring dandelions. “Yellow flowers,” she said, searching for her words. We knew something wasn’t right. That’s when things began to fall apart for our family, when our longest goodbye journey began—the defining before-and-after moment. And now, looking back, it’s been almost a decade of slow loss and drawn-out grief as we slowly let go of our beautiful mom. In the middle of it all, though, we have learned to look for hope and chase down joy, discovering that, in spite of our pain, there are always gifts to be found, even on the hardest of days. Alzheimer’s disease affects almost fifty million people worldwide. It touches people across every walk of life. So, how do millions of people figure out how to love as they let go? The Longest Goodbye is a collection of stories and moments not just about the clinical side of memory loss–but the emotional heart journey. It is a story that shows how joy and grief are often intertwined and wrapped up together in the glorious mess of life. The Longest Goodbye encourages readers to remember the ones they love while they are still here and to intentionally celebrate and live through the pain and hard days. It’s filled with tears, hope, and bitter-sweet moments all held together by the beautiful love of a mother and daughter holding onto a life filled with memories, while learning to let go and say goodbye.

Explore the many dimensions of the pilgrimage experience and change your orientation to the world. "Pilgrimage is an opportunity for pilgrims to cultivate their inner life (or inner voice) in a way that leads to a greater sense of peace and compassion—a sense that pervades all of life." —From Chapter 6, “Preparing to Practice” Pilgrimage is a spiritual practice of nearly every major religion of the world. If you are a Christian you may travel to sites associated with the life of Jesus; Jews might visit the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem and other sacred places in the Holy Land of Israel; Muslims participate in the Hajj, the journey to Mecca; Buddhists visit the sacred sites related to the life of Buddha. Even if you practice no religion at all you will still find that you most likely participate in this practice—the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC, and Lenin's tomb in Moscow are considered national pilgrimage sites. As a spiritual practice, pilgrimage transcends religious, national, cultural and linguistic boundaries. This fascinating look at the sacred art of pilgrimage integrates spirituality, practice, spiritual formation, psychology, world religions and historical resources. It examines how the world’s religious pilgrimages evolved as central spiritual practices and the relationship between pilgrimage and transformation. It explains what makes a place holy, and why and how some sites are so compelling that they attract thousands, even millions of pilgrims each year.