"Waiting Upon the Lord" is a prayer journal for expectant mothers. It is an invitation to open your heart to the wonder and mystery that is taking place within you. It is an invitation to pray, to ponder and to prepare for the gift of a new life. We dream of being loving mothers. We want our children to have a better life. We want our children to be happy. But all we really know is what we have experienced from our own mothers and our own families. So I invite you to come away for a little while each day and walk with your Mother Mary, the mother of Jesus. We will do this through mediation and prayer of the first three Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. Each week has a teaching and special gifts and graces for which to ask. As you pray and ponder the scripture and teachings, you will want to write down any special intentions, thoughts, or answered prayers that you have received. As your heart opens to God's grace and the companionship of your Mother Mary, you will find that peace and joy fill your heart. Mother Mary will take you and your family under her mantle of protection. Mary is your mother. She loves you. You will come to know the joy of having a mother and a friend by your side every day. And when your precious baby is born, you will know that God is with you and you will never walk alone. When your child matures, you may want to consider giving your journal to them as a gift and an expression of your love for them.

For Jamaica, W.I., the nineteenth Century had lurched slowly...painfully...to its last quarter of the Century. It was a time of trial and tribulation never before seen...sugar in decline...squalour in the yards...rampant disease...and yes...the darkness of life bereft of hope. Jessie Ripoll saw the suffering of her people...their cries pierced her soul...what could she do at this point in her life's journey? She dreamed of freedom for the oppressed...and true equality of opportunity and social justice. And at the appointed time...a vision so clear and luminous came to her. She came to know the great work God had chosen for her. So it was that on May 1, 1880, holding a little orphan girl by the hand, she made her pilgrimage through the gate of Alpha to the cottage that sat on forty-three acres of virgin land...waiting for the sound of her footsteps. There began the socio-educational experiment that would receive the respect and admiration of Jamaica. Within a decade, word of her success and an invitation reached the Sisters of Mercy in Bermondsey....It spoke to their hearts in a language that only those who have received the Call can understand...like Abraham, they heard...Leave your country...for a land which I shall show you. They arrived on Dec.12, 1890 to join Jessie. How could the four little girls who enrolled as the first students of Alpha Academy in 1894 have imagined that, a century later, fourteen hundred girls would be retracing their footsteps through the gates of Alpha? In his Proclamation of April 20, 2005, declaring the week of April 25 to May 1, 2005 as Alpha Week, the Governor General Sir Howard Cooke paid tribute to the Institution of learning that "produced a parade of graduates, men and women of excellence...who have made significant contributions to the development of our nation." The Citation granting Alpha the freedom of the City of Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation and the Keys to the historic City speaks of the 'tremendous contribution of the Boys' School to the musical treasures of Jamaica' and lauds 'the students of Alpha who have served in every sphere of National and International life.' Such is the power of that tiny, mustard seed of faith and hope, planted in the fertile soul of Jessie Ripoll over a century ago.

"Waiting Upon the Lord" is a prayer journal for expectant mothers. It is an invitation to open your heart to the wonder and mystery that is taking place within you. It is an invitation to pray, to ponder and to prepare for the gift of a new life. We dream of being loving mothers. We want our children to have a better life. We want our children to be happy. But all we really know is what we have experienced from our own mothers and our own families. So I invite you to come away for a little while each day and walk with your Mother Mary, the mother of Jesus. We will do this through mediation and prayer of the first three Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. Each week has a teaching and special gifts and graces for which to ask. As you pray and ponder the scripture and teachings, you will want to write down any special intentions, thoughts, or answered prayers that you have received. As your heart opens to God's grace and the companionship of your Mother Mary, you will find that peace and joy fill your heart. Mother Mary will take you and your family under her mantle of protection. Mary is your mother. She loves you. You will come to know the joy of having a mother and a friend by your side every day. And when your precious baby is born, you will know that God is with you and you will never walk alone. When your child matures, you may want to consider giving your journal to them as a gift and an expression of your love for them.

An absolutely heartbreaking and gripping historical novel based on a true story, for fans of Suzanne Goldring, Bridgerton and The Girl Behind the Gates. ***FROM THE 4-MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR*** ***RATED 5 STARS BY REAL READERS*** "A wonderfully romantic novel that will capitvate you instantly" -Hart, 5* Amazon reviewer "A fantastic story - I can't wait to read the next volume!" -Michele, 5* Amazon reviewer October 1886. Catherine and Guillaume Duquesne set off to New York with their six-year-old daughter Elisabeth. But the young couple's dreams of freedom and independence soon turn into a nightmare when Catherine dies during the journey and Guillaume is assaulted and left for dead soon after their arrival on American soil. A wealthy family adopts Elisabeth, who grows up spoiled and happy. But when she turns 16, she learns the truth about her origins and decides to return to France to meet her real family. Upon her arrival she realises that her grandfather's house, too, is seething with secrets... What readers think "The author is hugely talented." -Julie, 5* Amazon reviewer "Very attaching characters ... I'm impatient to read the next installment!" -5* Babelio reviewer "I just have to read the rest of the series." -Jean-Pierre, 5* fnac.com reviewer "Reads very well - wait until you read the ending!" -Francoise, 5* Amazon reviewer "An extraordinary author. I strongly recommend!" -Nathalie, 5* Amazon reviewer "I didn't know the author - it's an excellent novel. -Mimi, 5* Amazon reviewer