Small Mercies—Glimpses of God in Everyday Life

People who are only nominally spiritual have relatively little trouble sensing some sort of Divine presence when looking up at a beautiful snow-capped mountain or looking around in a grand cathedral. But even deeply spiritual individuals would likely admit that finding God in the places and faces that define daily life can be a bit more challenging.

In Small Mercies, fifty-something Nancy Jo Sullivan reflects on her life to this point—which includes the death of one of her daughters and a painful divorce—and discovers with great joy that God has been, and continues to be, everywhere. From her grandmother’s not-so-tasty date cookies to a dog that seems bent on attacking her to a conversation with her daughter about the function of muscles, Sullivan gives readers—especially second-half-of-life women—every reason to expect God to show up in the most unexpected ways.

Ultimately, Small Mercies encourages us to stop "limiting" God to those rare moments where all seems sublime and perfect, and instead to seek out God's mercies in the ordinary, often imperfect moments that shape our everyday lives.

Nancy Jo Sullivan is the author of five books and is a frequent speaker at both the local and national levels. She is a columnist for two websites: Catholic Exchange and Catholic Mom. Sullivan lies in St. Paul, Minnesota.