So many kind words.

Celebrated authors offer praise for Mary Lou’s New York Times bestseller, The God Box: Sharing my mother’s gift of faith, love and letting go:
 

"The God Box is such a beautiful story of love, faith and family. It reads, from beginning to end, like an intimate and familiar prayer."

—  Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love

“Mary Lou Quinlan’s mother left a wonderful legacy when she wrote such heartfelt prayers and wishes for the people in her life. It is an incredibly moving and hopeful ritual that we should all consider adding into our daily lives.”

— Reba, musician, author and actress

“In the little slips of paper that carry this sweet story forward, all of us can see the love in our own families, the yearnings in our own dreams, and the great possibilities of simple faith.”

— Jeffrey Zaslow, coauthor of The Last Lecture

“Mary Lou Quinlan’s tender conversion from an inconsolable daughter to one who takes 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

“The God Box is a book that you will want to keep by your own bed with your own new God Box. 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

“For anyone trying to move past life’s difficulties, 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

"What a beautiful and profoundly human book. The God Box tells the story of an unbreakable bond between a mother and daughter, and about the lifelong lessons our parents bless us with. It is a book I will keep in my heart for a long, long time."

— Laura Schroff, author, The Invisible Thread

Wall Street Journal

"A Garden to Honor Mom" by Katherine Rosman

Excerpt:

"You need a place to sit."

That is what Mary Lou Quinlan's 89-year-old father said when she showed him sketches for a garden memorial honoring her late mother at her weekend home in Bucks County, Pa.....

Now, when Ms. Quinlan wants to pray or connect with her mother, she sits on the argillite bench in her garden. It is adorned with bright green moss and has worn indentations on the seat, making it comfortable for two. After her father died in 2010, Ms. Quinlan says, "I thought, 'This is perfect because they can sit here together.' "

View article online here

New York Post

"Unanswered Prayers: What a one-way correspondence with God reveals about our darker hopes" by Claire Atkinson

Excerpt:

The God Box author Mary Lou Quinlan got to read her mother’s intimate thoughts after she unearthed 20 years’ worth of notes that her mother wrote to God about things as inconsequential as what flooring to put down to entreaties to help heal strangers in need....."

View article online here

Chicago Tribune

"Mom's 'God Boxes' celebrate the gift of letting go" by Alexia Elejade-Ruiz

Excerpt:

"The day after her mother died, with the house surreally silent, Mary Lou Quinlan reached to the highest shelf of her mom's Fort Myers, Fla., bedroom closet and discovered the 'God boxes.'....You lose the person you love best, then you get the gift of their voice,' she said."

View article online here

USA Today

Touted as the #1 book to buy for Mother's Day.

View article online here

Parade

Mary Lou Quinlan’s tale of finding her late mother’s 20-year collection of notes, wishes, and prayers may inspire moms to start their own.

View article online here

Redbook

Shown within this lifestyle magazine's inspiration board encouraging others to start a God Box.

Family Circle

Editorial pick in "Lit Crit" as a book recommended to read.

All You

Featured in All You prior to Mother's Day.

SheKnows.com

Mary Lou contributes to SheKnows.com sharing "Mom's lessons for a happy marriage."

View article online here

New York Times

Mary Lou writes about "Becoming My Mom" in the New York Times' Motherlode blog, "Adventures in Parenting."

View article online here

Cool Mom Picks

Elizabeth Gilbert called it "a beautiful story of love, faith and family" and we imagine a mother can find tons of inspiration in this unusual book about the wisdom from our own mothers--especially that which may take us a long time to recognize in the first place.

View article online here

Belief.net

Excerpt of Mary Lou's guest post on Belief.net with an article called "The God Box: Wisdom from a Mother's Prayers."

"After my mother Mary Finlayson died in 2006, our family found the treasure of her God Boxes where she wrote little notes of petition to God. Each note carried not only her love for us, her friends and even strangers but her personal perspective on how to live a life filled with joy and hope. These are  seven life lessons gleaned from my mother’s God Box of prayers."

View article online here

Washington Olympian

An article about Mary Lou's book, The God Box: Sharing my mother's gift of faith love and letting go, ran within this Pacific Northwest newspaper.

The Republic

An article about Mary Lou's book, The God Box: Sharing my mother's gift of faith love and letting go, ran within this Indiana newspaper.

San Luis Obispo Tribune

An article about Mary Lou's book, The God Box: Sharing my mother's gift of faith love and letting go, ran within this California newspaper.

Raleigh News & Observer

An article about Mary Lou's book, The God Box: Sharing my mother's gift of faith love and letting go, ran within this North Carolina newspaper.

 

Myrtle Beach Online

An article about Mary Lou's book, The God Box: Sharing my mother's gift of faith love and letting go, ran within this South Carolina newspaper.

Macon Telegraph

An article about Mary Lou's book, The God Box: Sharing my mother's gift of faith love and letting go, ran within this Georgia newspaper.

Lexington Herald-Leader

An article about Mary Lou's book, The God Box: Sharing my mother's gift of faith love and letting go, ran within this Kentucky newspaper.

Kansas City Star

An article about Mary Lou's book, The God Box: Sharing my mother's gift of faith love and letting go, ran within this Midwest newspaper.

Idaho Statesman

An article about Mary Lou's book, The God Box: Sharing my mother's gift of faith love and letting go, ran within this Heartland newspaper.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

An article about Mary Lou's book, The God Box: Sharing my mother's gift of faith love and letting go, ran within this Texas newspaper.

Forbes

In a series about "Entrepreneurial Women Rocking the World," Mary Lou shares her perspective on building virtual, global teams in business.

View article online here

 

Come meet Mary Lou and experience The God Box: A Daughter's Story at a venue near you.
Learn more

sample chapter
Enjoy a free selected chapter from The God Box.
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reading group guide
Invite your book club to join this engaging conversation about Mary Lou’s book.
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printable mini cards
Share these mini note cards or write notes for your God Box.
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mobile app
The God Box app makes it easy to write notes on the go.
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giving back
Ask how Mary Lou can support your local cause with the book and play.
Learn more


press & praise
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  • "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 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
  • "A beautiful story of love, faith and family. It reads like an intimate, familiar prayer."
    – ELIZABETH GILBERT, AUTHOR OF "EAT, PRAY, LOVE"
  • "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"
  • "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"
  • "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"
  • "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"

The God Box App is shiny new and ready to welcome your cares

March 18, 2024
by Mary Lou Quinlan

Since The God Box book was published in the spring of 2012, so many readers have told me that they started their own God Boxes. I love hearing stories of children creating God Boxes and married couples joining their prayer and cares in a family box. (And my mother would be thrilled!)  A 'real' God box is a constant reminder that we are not in control and that letting go is the first step to finding comfort, hope and relief for life's worries. But did you know that many thousands have gone virtual with their God boxes? To help the many busy ...

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