About the Book
After losing her husband of sixty-three years-and six weeks later her beloved dog-Jane McKinney finds solace in writing poetry. Feeling isolated from her six children, she relocates from Arizona to an independent living facility in West Michigan, just seven miles from her daughter Mary. Together the two women take comfort and delight in writing, nature, and outdoor adventures as they weather the loss of loved ones, the often grim realities of aging, and the looming threat of COVID-19. When Jane falls and injures herself during the pandemic, Mary becomes her primary caregiver. With Jane in the recliner and Mary on the floor at her feet, the two partake in a daily ritual they call their "chair chat." A growing intimacy develops between mother and daughter as they read their writing aloud to one another, revealing their respective journeys to find peace of mind and joy of heart, even in life's most difficult times. Threading through both their stories is the importance of nature in healing.
About the Author :
Jane McKinney is the author of nine books, including a children's book, a memoir on motherhood, a collection of essays, and six books of poetry. The mother of six children, she is a former Director of Public Information for the East Lansing School District and a pioneer in the use of cable television in education, for which she won several awards. Her most recent book, Joy in My Heart, was published in 2022, the year she turned ninety-six. She is a resident of Michigan and mother of co-author Mary McKSchmidt. Mary McKSchmidt is an author, photographer, newspaper columnist, and former sports editor. At fifty-three, she gave up her position as a president with Baxter International to pursue her passion: building the political will necessary to clean up and protect the Great Lakes. She appears frequently as a public speaker throughout West Michigan and posts monthly at marymckschmidt.com. Her books include Uncharted Waters: Romance, Adventure, and Advocacy on the Great Lakes and Tiny Treasures: Discoveries Made Along the Lake Michigan Coast. She is a resident of Michigan and daughter of co-author Jane McKinney.https: //www.marymckschmidt.comhttps: //www.facebook.com/mary.mckschmidtYoutube: @mckschmidt2971
Review :
"I never imagined/ I would ever write/ about the wind," writes Jane McKinney. I bet she and her daughter Mary McKSchmidt also never imagined they'd write about empty toilet paper shelves, advocating in hospitals, Mother Goose's eggs, slogans for going slow, and walkers. But as the title Miracle Within Small Things suggests, there is beauty, meaning, and connection to be found everywhere. What a beautiful offering, this book. I love how this mother/daughter pair weaves their love for each other through each page as together they explore loss, pain, fear, change, commitment, aging, loneliness, and love. Each poem and essayette is a testament to family, to creativity, and to the joy that comes in collaboration. Miracle Within Small Things is a gift. -Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, author of All the Honey and Hush
There is remarkable tenderness in Miracle Within Small Things. A mother grapples with loss by focusing her writing on the smaller gestures of the natural world. A daughter, tending her, creates a rich multi-genre conversation with her mother's poems. Together, they interlace surviving without their beloveds into a web of meaning that affirms what it means to be beloved to each other. It is a beautiful book about a powerful bond. -Anne-Marie Oomen, author of As Long as I Know You: The Mom Book and other Michigan Notable Award books
What a loving world it would be if all parents and their offspring sat down several times a week to chat. What would it be like to form a healing relationship, one meant to heal the rift imposed by a society that is simply too besieged by distractions, some unavoidable, from what personally matters. Then one day, well, it's too late. How many of us carry in our bag of regrets all the things "I never got around to asking"? Mary McKSchmidt didn't let that happen. Miracle Within Small Things, bravely composed by mother Jane McKinney and daughter Mary McKSchmidt, invites us into a conversation that, without lapsing into privacy or schmaltz, graciously offers a mother and daughter reflecting on what matters to all of us. Here's a collection of prose and poetry doing what it has always been meant to do-make accessible the great mysteries of hearts that have weathered our ineffable perceptions, insights, joys and sorrows. After being with this loving pair, you will wish you had or hope you will have what they call their times together, a "chair chat." -Jack Ridl, author of Practicing to Walk Like a Heron, co-recipient from ForeWord Reviews of the award for the nation's best book of poetry
In Miracle Within Small Things, Jane McKinney and Mary McKSchmidt take each other's hand and describe (in poetry and prose) the stunning beauty of the natural world and their unique relationship. A quiet poignancy is reflected in their words that embrace life despite loss and grief. They teach us that ". . . every morning together is different, every morning together sacred" and we are blessed by the valuable insight of this mother, her daughter, and their tender bond. -Linda Nemec Foster, author of Bone Country and The Blue Divide
