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When Mary Lou Quinlan’s beloved mother, Mary Finlayson, dies, her family is left bereft—until Quinlan finds her mother’s “God Box,” or rather, boxes. These simple containers are stuffed with tiny notes written by Mary, asking and praying for everything from the right flooring for her daughter’s new home to a cure for her own blood cancer. Mary’s petitions are presented with love and without expectation. Note by note, Quinlan unearths insights into her mother’s compassion, faith, and perseverance, and revelations of her innermost thoughts—nostalgic, surprising, and even a bit shocking. And through the journey, the author discovers her own more empathetic, more engaged self—the woman her mother had believed in all along. …READ MORE

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• "Mary Lou Quinlan shares her mother’s handmade and heartfelt gift of how to persist, believe and move forward with joy."
  – LEE WOODRUFF, AUTHOR OF "IN AN INSTANT"
• "In the slips of paper that carry this sweet story forward, we can see the love in our own families and the great possibilities of simple faith."
  – JEFFREY ZASLOW, COAUTHOR OF "THE LAST LECTURE"
• "A wonderful legacy…Keeping a God Box is an incredibly moving and hopeful ritual that we should all consider adding into our daily lives."
  – REBA, MUSICIAN, AUTHOR, ACTRESS
• "What a beautiful and profoundly human book....I will keep The God Box in my heart for a long, long time."
  – LAURA SCHROFF, AUTHOR OF "THE INVISIBLE THREAD"
• "The courage and wisdom from the messages left in her mother’s God Box will inspire you to create a God Box of your own."
  – GAIL SHEEHY, AUTHOR OF "PASSAGES IN CAREGIVING"
• "Mary Lou Quinlan has told the story of her mother in a way that entertains, moves and inspires. The thoughts about life and values will stick with you forever."
  – JIM LEHRER, EXECUTIVE EDITOR OF PBS NEWSHOUR
• "A beautiful story of love, faith and family. It reads like an intimate, familiar prayer."
  – ELIZABETH GILBERT, AUTHOR OF "EAT, PRAY, LOVE"

June 19, 2013
by Mary Lou Quinlan

Today is Father’s Day, one of the first sunny days in a month of rain. But I am indoors, cleaning the kitchen, the way Dad would. I decided that would be the way to honor him this year. My Dad had a lot of talents so kitchen clean-up might seem like a lame choice but Dad treated the task with the utmost respect and it’s about time I did too. Ray Finlayson cleaned with the doggedness of a soldier, patrolling the borders of hidden dirt and secret smudges. He was never slap dash. Or dreary. He’d sing as he mopped up the gravy spi...