The Twelve Gifts from the Garden: Life Lessons for Peace and Well-Being

The Mommies Reviews

I would like to ask you to check out our newest Christmas Gift Guide Author Charlene Costanzo and there book The Twelve Gifts from the Garden: Life Lessons for Peace and Well-Being which they sent me in exchange for a spot in this years Christmas Gift Guide for: Women.

A Garden View of Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s Gift from the Sea

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“This book is a feast, a dream, a wondrous adventure….―Sherry Richert Belul, founder of Simply Celebrate and author of Say It Now.

#1 New Release in Philosophy, Consciousness & Thought, Tropical Climate Gardening, and Botany.

During a tropical storm. In the aftermath of chemotherapy. In the midst of marital discord. These are among the times author Charlene Costanzo found comfort, joy, hope, and healing on Sanibel Island. Now, comes a collection of insightful life-guiding reflections inspired by the tropical botanicals of her precious flower garden.

Life lessons and line art in the tropics. In the tradition of Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Charlene finds awe in the bounty of seashells along the Florida shoreline. But, it’s the foliage in Sanibel’s botanical garden that brings daily reflections and lesson-bearing messages.

Translating the beauty of botany. If you look closely, plants sprout with willpower and bloom with determination. Drawing from the beautiful nature of trees and flowers, Charlene crafts garden-inspired messages from her experiences with healing and understanding. Inside, find quotes, reflections, and bonus material:

  • Pen-and-ink line drawings with illustrations of flowers, leaves, and garden plants
  • Charlene’s Twelve Gifts resource and lessons learned in the garden
  • An epilogue from two other locales─Sedona, AZ and St. John, VI

Relaxing garden gift or beach gift. If you’re exploring the secret life of trees or the beauty of a cut flower garden, this environmentalist memoir is a great addition to any shelf of nature books. A combination of garden book and meditation book, Twelve Gifts from the Garden is both an ode to ecology and a collection of healing, discoveries, and epiphanies.

Looking for Anne Lamott books, gardener gifts, or inspirational gifts for women―or enjoyed bestsellers like Braiding Sweetgrass or  The Hidden Life of Trees―then Twelve Gifts from the Garden is your next read!

About Charlene Costanzo

Charlene Costanzo

Charlene Gorda Costanzo is an award-winning author, experiential event facilitator, speaker, wife, mother of two adult daughters, and grandmother of twins.

She holds a B.A. in Philosophy from St. Bonaventure University and an M.A. in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica. She loves to read, write, travel, swim, hike, dance, dabble in art and arts and crafts, learn new things, befriend strangers, and – most of all – be with her family. Hearing from readers is right up with spending time with family and in nature.

Originally from New Jersey, she has resided in New York, Texas, Arizona, and Florida. During a one-year book tour to launch The Twelve Gifts of Birth, Charlene and her husband enjoyed the adventure of living in an RV in 48 of the 50 states.

The Twelve Gifts series of fables began in 1987 when Charlene wrote The Twelve Gifts of Birth as a life message for her then teenage daughters. Twelve years later she published the book and discussed its message in schools, shelters, prisons, churches, and hospitals throughout the United States while traveling in that motor home, which they called “George.” Because that was their only home for a year, when children asked, as they often did, where do you live, Charlene delighted in answering, “Right here” and that was the truth.

For a day or a few we lived in Fargo, Saint Paul, Portland, Oklahoma City, Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Shreveport, Atlanta, Boston, Erie…not in order and there were many more.

Meeting people in person throughout the United States and easily connecting on common ground was incredibly moving, joyful, and enriching.

“I hope to soon travel the country virtually and, everywhere, again meet people on common ground in heart-centered ways,” says Charlene.

The Twelve Gifts for Healing was written while Charlene was in treatment for advanced Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2001. “Cancer led me to examine my convictions and look at these life gifts more deeply. Truly, they helped me heal,” she says.

The Twelve Gifts in Marriage comes from the ups and downs, ebbs and flows, and hurts and healings that are a part of every long-term marriage.

After she wrote The Twelve Gifts of Birth, Charlene mused about a scene in its opening. What might have happened when, “The wise women came to understand that the twelve royal gifts of birth belong to every child…they yearned to proclaim the gifts to all children…but the customs of the land did not allow that.” What happened was The Thirteenth Gift. This fourth work in The Twelve Gifts series also explains why so many people world-wide are fascinated with stones.

Touchstones: Stories for Living The Twelve Gifts is a collection of true “Chicken-for-the-Soul-like” stories that demonstrate the gifts at work in people’s lives.

Opening The Twelve Gifts: A Touchstone Sampler is a like sampler box of chocolates, except, instead of chocolates, the samples are of Today’s Touchstone daily inspirations. They are sweet and enriching, however, and calorie-free. Free with Kindle Unlimited too.

With the due date of September 15, 2020, The Twelve Gifts from the Garden: Life Lessons for Peace and Well-Being comes into the world.

The stories are inspired by nature in the botanical garden at Sanibel Moorings on Sanibel Island, FL. It is similar to Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh, who was inspired on Sanibel’s sister island, Captiva.

“In this lovely, thoughtful series of meditations on what the author calls the “simple-yet-sacred” moments of our lives, Charlene Costanzo calls upon the beauty of the natural world outside ourselves as well as the quiet wisdom that lies within us, offering strength and healing.

This book is a gift of peace and comfort for all readers,” says Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s daughter, Reeve Linbergh, who is the author of several wonderful books, including Two Lives.

When Charlene’s garden book is published, readers can visit Charlene’s new website and “enter” the garden to see the flowers, trees, leaves, roots, etc. that are featured in the book’s stories. www.charlenecostanzo.com A few virtual gatherings in the garden will be offered too.

Inside this post are my affiliate links. If you click on the links and make a purchase I will make a small percentage from the items you purchase.

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates