Grant Me Serenity [Paperback]

Janalee Card Chmel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 2001

Sylvia, a 50-year-old Colorado woman, is diagnosed with advanced liver cancer. Thus begins "Grant Me Serenity," a story told through the eyes of Sylvia's 24-year-old daughter, Janalee, who kept a journal throughout Sylvia's seven-month battle. More than just a story about cancer, this book shares the poignant, and even funny events that occur when average people face extraordinary choices. Readers are brought right up close to this family's journey through a unique blend of story-telling and journal excerpts. The combination presents a real-time, moment-to-moment revelation of events.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Why did I write this book? I look at it now, all dressed up and looking professional, and I smile at its crude beginnings. On January 6, 1993 – the day after doctors found Mom’s tumor – I began journaling. My fear was so overwhelming that the only way I could face it was to put it down. I carried my journal with me everywhere during Mom’s illness. On the occasions when I didn’t have it, I asked strangers, nurses, and friends for paper and a pen. Journaling helped me name and face my fears.

About three years after Mom died, I discovered that I still had fears and the need to put them down. I decided to write my story for the same reasons that I kept a journal. I had to. The first three sections of the book gushed from my pen and I kept it all in coffee-stained notepads. The fourth section, though, was different. That section, “Serenity,” is about my healing journey after Mom’s death and I struggled to put words around my experience. Again, I look now at this tidy book and I nearly laugh out loud. It was a mess! But so was I, I suppose. Out of that mess came the words. And, ultimately, the words helped me to discover the lessons I had learned and will continue to learn.

So, this is my story, my journey. I hope that it helps you or someone you love go through the same search I did.

About the Author

Janalee Card Chmel earned a master's degree in creative writing from the University of Denver. She and her husband live with Frank the Dog in Colorado where Janalee works as a freelance writer. When Janalee needs to chat with her mom, she drives to the hills (the Rocky Mountains) and sits on a rock in the sun... and they chat.

"Prism International" and "Lines in the Sand" have published her fiction.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Paros Press (March 15, 2001)
• ISBN-10: 0970209304
• ISBN-13: 978-0970209306
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,452,179 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gift., November 15, 2004

By 

Karen L. Carter "aka author Karen DeGroot Carter" (Denver) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Grant Me Serenity (Paperback)

Tired of hearing that healing is a step-by-step process? Coping with daily challenges that threaten to overwhelm? Janalee Card Chmel offers you a gift in this honest, heartfelt work of art. GRANT ME SERENITY comforts in a singular, welcoming way: not by glossing over pain, encouraging readers to escape pain, or promising that life can be simplified and managed, but by illustrating how one strong person plowed through a series of tough experiences and, after a long and often bitter journey, comes to acknowledge how the painful loss she so resents compels her to live her life to the fullest. Janalee Card Chmel is that strong person. Her mother would be proud.

5.0 out of 5 stars Encouragement for the chronically ill, June 18, 2001

By 

DLB (Aurora, Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grant Me Serenity (Paperback)

Not only is Chmel's book good for those with terminal illness and their caretakers, it was helpful for me--someone who has suffered with chronic pain and sickness. I could identify with Janalee's anger and frustration with the medical community and the unfairness of her situation. Just like Janalee, I've screamed at God and wanted to attack my bed with a rolling pin! This book gave me permission to deal with some of the feelings I've stuffed away, and revealed some other areas that I need to confront in order to heal and find "serenity". Thanks Janalee!

5.0 out of 5 stars Grant Me Serenity, April 24, 2001

By 

Stephanie Van Bogart (Aurora, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grant Me Serenity (Paperback)

Janalee Card Chmel, by reaching inside herself, reaches out to all of us who have experienced a great loss. She is so open with her emotions and gifted in her ability to relate poignant moments that at times I felt like an intruder. But she chose to take us on her journey and shares it beautifully. By being so honest in her writing, she enables the reader to be honest with himself.

In addition to her writing ability, Janalee produced a book that is technically and aesthetically first-rate which book lovers will appreciate.