Author Elise Seyfried returns to Epworth
Elise Seyfried recently returned to Epworth UM Church to share insights into her third book, "Everyday Matters," a memoir of humorous essays and life experiences as a mother to five children and spiritual director at her church.
The author, who is a regular contributor to the Cape Gazette, has also written "Unhaling," and "Underway," and came to the church to share insights and stories over a dessert reception with the Rev. Dr. Pat Loughlin.
From reflections on her old home to the joy of a new grandbaby, Seyfried's newest book was inspired by Celtic spirituality, which considers everyday events in life to be sacred.
During her funny discussion with Loughlin, Seyfried discussed her long tradition of journaling events in her children's lives as memories for them and therapy for herself.
"I stopped keeping the journals when they stopped being cute," she said.
In everyday matters, Seyfried reveals she reminisces on the loss of her mother and also her sister at a young age, as well as making decisions for her own family, including homeschooling her children.
"You really had to open up as parents to say, this isn't working for my child," Loughlin said. "To me, that's such a leap of faith."
As a spiritual director and Sunday school teacher at her church, Seyfried said she has also made some unconventional choices to help reveal what true forgiveness is for herself and her young classes, which she reveals in "Everyday Matters."
"When the Boston Marathon bombing happened, I made the choice to go there and talk about it at Sunday School," Seyfried said. "Who will be held accountable for this? In the end, it was a 19-year-old boy, and what difference does that make?"
She said her Sunday school students wrote letters of forgiveness to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Boston Marathon bomber who has been sentenced to death.
"Tsarnaev could be any of us under different circumstances," Seyfried said. "Lets not forget that, no one is beyond redemption with the grace of our endlessly loving God."
For more information or to purchase Elise Seyfriend's books, go to www.eliseseyfried.com. To read her blog go to capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/elise-seyfried/889432?cid=291862.
