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Women Share How Prayer Buoys Them

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By VICKIE BECK, Tribune correspondent

Published: October 27, 2007

Discussing prayer is difficult for the matriarch of the politically powerful Bush family. However, in 'How Strong Women Pray,' Barbara Bush shares a lesson she says changed her life: learning to thank God throughout the day for all that is good.

It makes the rest easier to deal with, she says.

Poet and author Maya Angelou can pinpoint exactly where and when she knew she was a 'child of God.' The sense of belonging never left her, and she prays constantly, primarily prayers of thanks, throughout the day.

The roles that prayer plays in these and 25 other women's lives comprise author and motivational speaker Bonnie St. John's new book, available in stores Friday. Interspersed among the short profiles are snatches of her own story, also shared in snapshot-like vignettes.

The essays are grouped under conceptual chapter headings, including 'Facing Life's Storms With Childlike Faith,' 'Climbing the World's Highest Mountains' and 'In the Valley, We Grow.'

'I was praying and thinking about how much strength I get from prayer,' says the 43-year-old author, who lives in New York. 'And I started thinking about women who are strong role models and wondering how they pray.'

Throughout the book, the message of God's constancy is reinforced and repeated, along with the personal need and nature of prayer.

Some of the women know God is present because they perceive immediate answers or instant bursts of calm or energy during prayer. Others quietly trust the presence of God in their immediate lives without necessarily having such tangible proof.

For some of the women, prayer is like being with a trusted friend. For others, it is an ongoing, enveloping sense of calm, even in the midst of what appears to be chaos.

St. John may not have the name recognition of Bush, Angelou, Kathie Lee Gifford, Amy Grant or the other women featured in this book, but she has an impressive resume.

She was a medalist in the 1984 Paralympics, a Rhodes Scholar, Harvard University graduate and former White House staff member. She has been featured on several TV shows, and Brian Williams, of 'NBC Nightly News,' has referred to her as 'one of the five most inspiring women in America.' She has even been featured in 'The Way I See It' series on Starbucks cups.

Her achievements may be especially inspirational given her background: Born into a poor family, she endured abuse and lost a leg to a congenital defect as a child.

'I believe we have a responsibility for taking everything we're given and using it to do the best we can,' she says.

She wants to share that message with everyone, including young patients at Shriners Hospitals for Children, where she was treated.

'I would tell them to appreciate what they have and appreciate they are receiving the best medical care in the world,' she says.

One minor flaw in the book is the lack of detail in telling St. John's story. There is enough information on her amazing life and the role of prayer in it to make the reader want more. Although the other essays can be read independently, it's harder to do that with the pieces on St. John.

Even so, the book offers a wealth of insight and encouragement.

For information about 'How Strong Women Pray'(Faithwords, $16.99), go to www.howstrongwomenpray.com. For information about the author, go to www.bonniestjohn.com.

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