THE JOURNEY (Mary’s Blog)

BOOKS

PUBLIC SPEAKING

VIDEOS

CONTACT

ABOUT

MEDIA

A BENCH AND A TREE

THE JOURNEY (Mary’s Blog)

BOOKS

PUBLIC SPEAKING

VIDEOS

CONTACT

ABOUT

MEDIA

A BENCH AND A TREE

Books Inspired by Life
in the Great Lakes Region

Available for Purchase at Local Bookstores or Online

Miracle Within Small Things

​A Mother and Daughter’s Journey Through Loss and Aging

After losing her husband of sixty-three years and, six weeks later, her beloved dog, Jane McKinney moves from Arizona to Michigan to be closer to her children. When Jane falls and injures herself during the pandemic, her daughter, Mary, becomes her primary caregiver. With Jane in the recliner and Mary on the floor at her feet, the two partake in a daily ritual they call their “chair chat.” A growing intimacy develops between mother and daughter as they read their writing aloud to one another, revealing their respective journeys to find peace of mind and joy of heart, even in life’s most difficult times. Threading through both their stories is the importance of nature in healing.

Book Reviews

"Here’s a collection of prose and poetry doing what it has always been meant to do—make accessible the great mysteries of hearts that have weathered our ineffable perceptions, insights, joys and sorrows.”

Jack Ridl, Author of Practicing to Walk Like a Heron; co-recipient from Foreword Reviews of the award for the nation’s best book of poetry

“I love how this mother/daughter pair weaves their love for each other through each page as together they explore loss, pain, fear, change, commitment, aging, loneliness and love.”

Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, author of All the Honey and Hush

"A quiet poignancy is reflected in their words that embrace life despite loss and grief."

Linda Nemec Foster, author of Bone Country and The Blue Divide

"More than anything, mother and daughter remind us of the importance of living with joy."

Eric Stemle, author of I Was Not the Blossom: Growing with Your Students in a Nurturing Classroom

"They describe how they’ve learned to live everyday with grace, gratitude, grit and humor as they grow older together."

Pamela H. Daugavietis, retired freelance writer, Grand Rapids

"A beautiful book about a powerful bond."

Anne-Marie Oomen, author of As Long as I Know You: The Mom Book and other Michigan Notable Books awards

Uncharted Waters

​Romance, Adventure, and Advocacy on the Great Lakes

From stealing water to survive in South Africa, to learning to respect its power as a sailor in U.S. Waters, Mary McKSchmidt finds water’s magnetic draw the catalyst behind her life’s turning points. Written in a voice that is charming, witty, and honest, Uncharted Waters shares the stories of a Fortune 500 executive learning to sail, learning to love, learning to fight for the water and life she holds dear.

Book Reviews

“One can’t help but be drawn into this woman’s search for balance as she and her husband sail from one adventure to another on the Great Lakes.”

David Ullrich, Great Lakes Advocate

“Riveting with an urgent message to all of us living alongside these lakes.”

Lisa Ruoff, 2017 Commodore of the Macatawa Bay Yacht Club

“It tells of a heart smitten by the embrace of a great lake and the author’s journey to love, enjoy and fight for these freshwater jewels.”

Todd L. Ambs, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition

“. . . a sense of the eternal value and beauty of the lakes.”

Dave Dempsey, author of On the Brink: The Great Lakes in the 21st Century, Last Summer on Lake Huron, and Protector, Not Manager

“Passionately lyrical, a quilt of experience chapter to chapter.”

Jack Ridl, author of Losing Season, Practicing to Walk Like a Heron, and Saint Peter and the Goldfinch

Tiny Treasures

​Discoveries Made Along the Lake Michigan Coast

Her journey began as a quest for answers to questions created by time, created when the role previously dominating her life disappeared. A fifty-five year old woman, she packed her car with an assortment of old camping gear, a bicycle, camera, stack of pocket-size spiral notebooks and set off alone to explore the dunes framing the eastern coast of Lake Michigan. Always with her, poking their tiny faces through the drab remnants of winter, were wildflowers. Intrigued, hoping to learn their names, she paused to take their pictures.

In Tiny Treasures, Mary McKSchmidt shares reflections inspired by wildflowers as she takes the reader behind the lens of her camera. In this artistic combination of writing and photography, she pauses to celebrate, share, and protect even the tiniest treasures of nature.

Tiny Treasures is now in its second printing.