"Wood conveys a sense of something larger in the world, and gives voice to the human longing to understand." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Grandad is the boy’s best friend. Being with him always makes the world seem right. And how vast that world is: a world of tall trees that reach for the clouds and sun and moon and stars — and what else is reaching for heaven but a prayer? Each time he and Grandad walk in the woods, the boy listens for the prayers of the earth. And finally the boy asks: "Are our prayers answered?" One day, long after Grandad is gone, long after the boy is grown, he understands Grandad’s reply: "If we listen very closely, a prayer is often its own answer." Douglas Wood, author of Old Turtle, has written a wise and moving story for all ages, beautifully illustrated by the acclaimed P.J. Lynch.

Because Grandad has explained how all things in the natural world pray and make a gift to the beauty of life, his grandson is comforted when Grandad dies.

All of nature argues about the forms of God, so people are sent as a reminder of all that God is, although they do not seem to understand the message themselves.

Beautiful prayers that pour out love and affection for grandparents, alive and deceased.

Grief overload is what you feel when you experience too many significant losses all at once, in a relatively short period of time, or cumulatively. In addition to the deaths of loved ones, such losses can also include divorce, estrangement, illness, relocation, job changes, and more. Our minds and hearts have enough trouble coping with a single loss, so when the losses pile up, the grief often seems especially chaotic and defeating. The good news is that through intentional, active mourning, you can and will find your way back to hope and healing. This compassionate guide will show you how.

Part of the regionalist movement that included Grant Wood, Paul Engle, Hamlin Garland, and Jay G. Sigmund, James Hearst helped create what Iowa novelist Ruth Suckow called a poetry of place. A lifelong Iowa farner, Hearst began writing poetry at age nineteen and eventually wrote thirteen books of poems, a novel, short stories, cantatas, and essays, which gained him a devoted following Many of his poems were published in the regionalist periodicals of the time, including the Midland, and by the great regional presses, including Carroll Coleman's Prairie Press. Drawing on his experiences as a farmer, Hearst wrote with a distinct voice of rural life and its joys and conflicts, of his own battles with physical and emotional pain (he was partially paralyzed in a farm accident), and of his own place in the world. His clear eye offered a vision of the midwestern agrarian life that was sympathetic but not sentimental - a people and an art rooted in place.

A guide to grandparenting with purpose and fun--in the age of smart phones and social media. Grandparenting may be different today, but it still can be meaningful and fun for both the kids and the adults. Today's grandparent needs to understand technology--how it mesmerizes grandchildren but also enhances the opportunities to connect and share life experiences. And while many of the roles grandparents play in the lives of grandchildren have changed, their most important role of influencing with wisdom, faith, and fun remains the same. The author addresses topics relevant to all grandparents and also looks at the challenges of grandchildren living in single parent or blended families. Also included are stories from the author's journey with her own grandchildren--including Duck Dynasty's Sadie Robertson.