Touched by Grace: A Page at a Time

By Anna Maria De Guid

When was the last time you heard a story that made your heart feel inspired, joyful, and thankful? 

Everyone loves stories.  But not all stories are created equal. 

It’s hard to beat a wonderful story that touches the heart, but it’s harder to beat if that story happens to be true. And it’s hardest to beat if that story can be read in less than five minutes.  

All eighty stories in this book are. 

Hope you are awed, amazed, and astounded at how these stories can tug at your heart—one page at a time. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 20, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098008857

Book preview

cover.jpg

TOUCHED

BY

GRACE

Anna Maria De Guid

A Page at a Time

ISBN 978-1-0980-0884-0 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-0980-0885-7 (digital)

Copyright © 2019 by Anna Maria De Guid

Cover and book design by Isabella Ramos

Editing by Josh B. Francia and Isabella Ramos

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Names of some characters and details in the stories have been changed for privacy. The substance and message of the stories remain intact.

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Altruism

A Random Kindness

Grace after the Storm

Grandma Lourdes

Shoebox Story

The Borrowed Lined Paper

Belief

Betty

Faster than Analgesic

Gustave Doré

Heaven Is for Real

In the Surgical Room

Ofelia’s Mansion

On Meeting Jesus

Thalia and Laura

Uncle Larry

When Descriptions Coincide

Conversion

A Good Weird Story

A Wedding Promise

On Humility

Who Are You, Jesus?

Divine Assistance

Almost Broke In

Angelic Blessings

Butterflies

Car Accident

Desperation

Mom’s Sixth

Pool Overflow

Road Rage

God’s Timing

In the Nick of Time

One Book’s Amazing Grace

Positive Thinking

The Picture Frame

The Stranger and the Riptide

Timely Call

Intercessions

A Lawyer’s Promise

Mary on Mother Mary

Rental to Carmelita

To Sell or Not to Sell

Trivial Rosary Request

The Rental

Mysterious Ways

Blessed with a Veil

Carla’s Phone

Dental Graces

Double Weekend Blessing

Got Off Early

Immaculate Concepcion Coronation

Infinite Mercy

Peace Be with You

The Easter Card

The Emperor Butterfly

The Extra Help

Treat In The Skies

Wrong Send

Driving Help

Serendipity

A Surprise Gift

Ascencia

Backyard Survey

Beautiful Crucifix

Day Full of Errands

Humble and Kind

Lawyer in Time

Locked Out

The Blame Game

Timely Help

Timely Tree Trim

Trip to Florida

Thanksgiving

Best of Dad

Deer Blessings

Keeping Me Grounded

Living Like We Did

Thankfulness

Turkey Baster and Rib Roast

Wisdom

Bishop Wilkerson

Bitter Or Better

Don’t Compare

Graceful Patient

Grace in Hugging

Matter Of Perspective

On the Right Track

Puppy Love

Tale of Two Mothers

Slow Vehicles

Substitution Therapy

The Mother I Would Not Want to Be

Final Words

Acknowledgments

Works Cited

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Preface

As I was wrapping up my first compilation of stories in Touched by Grace: The Journey, so many other stories of grace resurfaced from the distant past. I continued to jot the stories down, and I couldn’t believe how many I still had to write! As I began to pen my narratives, a seed of doubt in my heart sprouted and seemed to grow substantially each day.

My heart spoke, Jesus, I would like to write a second book, but only if you’d like me to.

The heart and mind are sometimes tricky. They can make you think and feel that something is God’s plan when it is not. So I asked for guidance.

St. Therese, please let me know if Jesus will be happy with me writing a second compilation. I lighted a candle and prayed that if it is Jesus’s will, roses will be sent my way.

On the way home the following afternoon, I received a text from a dear friend, I left something by your door.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw exquisite lavender roses elegantly arranged in a glass vase waiting for me by the front door.

And that was how this second book came to being.

‘But grace was given to each of

us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

Therefore, it says:

He ascended* on high and took prisoners captive; he gave gifts to men.’

Ephesians 4:7–8

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

The Touched by Grace series is a collection of stories about God’s graces in our lives. A visual appendix that brings the beauty of these narratives to life can be found on the series’ website touchedbygrace.today.

Stories in this second book, Touched by Grace: A Page at a Time, are categorized into ten sections. As the title suggests, all stories are a page or less. This format differs from the series’ first book, Touched by Grace: The Journey, in which stories are arranged chronologically and run from two to six pages.

Hopefully, the busy bodies of this world will be able to find a few minutes of their day to read one of these stories.

Short as they are, they still recount the rich substance of each grace—with just enough words to inspire and warm hearts.

Introduction

WAITING FOR MIRACLES

When Graces Abound

From the Old Testament, we read of incredible stories of how God parted the Red Sea, how he spoke to his chosen people.

From the New Testament, we read about Jesus’s miracles of making the blind see, healing the sick, and raising the dead.

These stories are all so awe-inspiring to read.

But did you know that God has also showered his blessings and graces on us many times in our lives?

Because we expect the grandiosity of the miracles, we miss the quietness of his graces and shrug them off as luck or coincidence.

In the calmness of your day, wait for him. Listen to him. He will let himself be known through the graces he sprinkles throughout your life.

Altruism

A Random Kindness

Our son graduated from Loyola High School, and Rick Caruso,