Books

A Sequel to An Ocean Away

The Light By Which We See

Readers wondered what became of Giovanni and me after we married. Did our marriage survive after overcoming the myriad barriers we faced to be together? The story continues in The Light By Which We See.

It didn’t matter if we lived across the ocean from each other, or in the same house, a chasm existed between us…

This intimate and lyrical memoir strips back the layers of marriage as Garatti candidly explores what it means for two people to navigate the paradoxical elation and peril of romantic love.

In a stunning fusion of vulnerability, sweeping poetic artistry and heartfelt revelation, this story seeks to grapple with the reality of loneliness, disappointment and self-doubt that can surface even in the strongest of relationships.

Luminous dreams and Divine epiphanies carry the author forward into a writer’s journey to understand herself and her husband more deeply, providing the strength and grace to travel into the depths of the space between them.

Imbued with tenderness, The Light By Which We See is an empathic meditation and well-crafted gem that challenges the status quo, the definition of success, and what it takes to live a truly fulfilling life.

Read an Excerpt from The Light By Which We See…

 

Devotional

On A Clear Blue Day

The idea for this book first began when I was the leader of a women’s ministry in my church. In an effort to communicate each month, I wrote a brief narrative about observations I had about God’s guidance and grace in my life. I had a positive response from these loving, cordial women, so kept writing. The book is a compilation of continued observations. The material is divided into four sections to be used any way readers prefer. The reader can follow the linear pattern of the seasons, or skip around. When I’ve used devotional books, I’ve found I’m not good at reading an entry every day. Thus, my weeks have two days for readings, another day for answering a few thought questions, as well as recording your own findings. There is another day for participating in an activity that could prove helpful in cementing the subject matter for that week. I invite readers to take what they want and leave anything that is not useful. I write about everyday matters—many of the entries are about navigating marriage—its gains and losses. I write about the intention of moving toward rest and peace amidst a world that veers more and more toward chaos, calamity and performance-based acceptance. I write, too, about my dreams—God speaking to me often in the night watches. Life is multi-faceted. God is mysterious and powerful. He works in myriad ways—always desiring to draw us closer to Him. Sometimes there is confusion and loneliness on the path. Yet I find that cultivating His presence and finding ways to seek Him help more than anything when I feel overwhelmed with the vicissitudes of life.

Read an Excerpt from On A Clear Blue Day…

 

Novel

Missing God

I’ve always been somewhat intrigued by the concept of grief. We are constantly processing loss in life, whether it is the death of someone we love or the passing of youth. I work as a counselor assisting persons with substance use disorders manage this difficult disease. Over and over again, I’ve been struck in the counseling room how much beginning to heal from the disorder is about processing grief and loss. So it didn’t necessarily surprise me when one of my clients spoke the title of my second book. He cried openly in his session and said, “Priscilla, I think people struggling with addiction miss God more than other people.” This statement filled the room with power and I asked him to clarify. “Do you mean people managing addiction don’t have God in their lives or that they are lonely for Him?” He answered quite passionately, “Oh no, Priscilla, it’s because they are lonely for Him.” I thought then, before there were characters or a story line, that “Missing God” made a good title.

Then my older sister’s husband died suddenly at a Christmas party. He was gone in an instant, and my sister’s journey of grief began.

So I melded the two storylines in a novel. A woman managing heroin addiction seeks to find her way, and a woman newly widowed suffers pain and loss on another level. Both women experience the ravages of grief, but when they find one another, the cure begins.

While I enjoy delving into the process of grief, I believe there is a way through—there is hope and light that can penetrate even the darkest corners of human pain and suffering. And so the story does not leave one in despair.

Read an excerpt from Missing God...

Find out what readers are saying about Missing God...

 

Memoir

An Ocean Away

Giovanni was the first man I loved and the last. Ultimately, this sums up the story of my book, An Ocean Away. The first strands of our narrative began on the Atlantic aboard an Italian ocean liner, the ss Leonardo da Vinci. I met Giovanni first in 1972. While our story began there, we connected only as acquaintances—he showing me much kindness as a waiter during the ship’s elegant dinners. We never touched or knew one another’s name, but perhaps our love was seeded on those Caribbean waters.

One year later, I took another cruise onboard that same ship. And that first day amidst the sunshine and smell of the sea, our eyes met in recognition. His gaze would be a moment I will never forget—that look that spoke with no audible words, “I remember you. I remember you.”

Our adolescent love did not last. The ocean and our different cultures formed a gaping abyss that we could not navigate.

After a quarter century, I had an unexpected occurrence that would ultimately change my life. While you know the outcome—Giovanni and I found each other—the story compressed between then and now is extraordinary on several levels. Certainly we transcended many natural obstacles of time and culture, yet the spiritual journey I piloted during those years was perhaps as astounding—filled with God’s grace and unfailing love.

Read an excerpt from An Ocean Away...

Find out what readers are saying about An Ocean Away...