A HEALING HEART
June 12, 2008
A Healing Heart takes the reader to
a special place and time that only the truly blessed can capture in words.
After the heart-breaking loss of her beloved father, the author shares her
inexplicable struggle with a spiritual calling to go on a pilgrimage to
Medjugorie. Despite medical challenges and frustrating feelings of anxiety, she
embarks on a life changing journey that not only renews her faith, but empowers
her to renew the faith of others. The manner in which Alberta Sequeira shares
her innermost thoughts and feelings with the reader is inspiring and
thought-provoking. I enjoyed this book immensely.
Review by Diane Kozak, Published Author of Full Circle 911
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Strengthen Faith
by reviewer Gail Brazil (10/30/07)
I found myself unable to put this book down. Through all the author's experiences from
dealing with her
father's sickness and ultimate passing to her pilgrammage to
Medjugorje, I felt as if I were right there with her.
Her writing
style puts the reader right where she is so you actually feel her pain with her
father's passing yet at the same time you can feel her faith renew itself and
blossom.
Medjugorje was a wonderful experience for me, although I have only
been there through reading this book. The humbleness of the people of Bosnia
and the way they open their hearts to strangers made me feel humble as well.
What links these residents with the pilgrams is a mutual faith in God who is
willing to show us Miracles so that we may Believe and Trust.
After reading
her book, maybe we can just slow down for a moment and contemplate
what is really important to us in our own world....the people in our lives
whom we love and care about and a God who will never abandon us.
Thank you
Alberta for helping me strengthen my own Faith.~
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ALLBOOKS REVIEW by Cheryl Ellis
Title: A Healing Heart
Author: Alberta H. Sequeira
Embrace life
and believe again in the power of faith. Written with intense emotions,
the author brings to us a personal and spiritual journey.
Alberta
Sequeira faces the last facet of life- death. She deals with the death of
her father by learning about his life as a man, a husband, a father and a
believer in miracles. She learns that as a Commanding Officer in W.W.II,
he was loved a respected by all men who's lives he touched and protected.
She has to accept her mother’s way of coping with the inevitable and is
grateful for the valuable help and heartfelt empathy from ‘Cathy’ of the
Hospice Association. Throughout this tragedy, Alberta
regains her faith in God. Remembering her father saying
“Family is one of the most important things in life” and “Love one another as I
have loved you” (St. John 15.12) We need to all remember to tell our loved ones
while they are with us how we feel, how grateful we are to have them in our
lives. All too soon it will be too late!
Not long
after her father’s passing, Alberta’s
mother falls ill. Once recuperated enough to travel, Alberta
and her sister take her to pray at the Shrine of The Blessed Mother in Medway,
MA where they experience a mystical moment
heightening all of their faiths.
After her
own health issues are sorted out and overcoming many fears, Alberta
travels to Medjogorje in Bosnia.
This is a spiritual journey to a place where many claim to have received visits
from the Blessed Mother Mary. Not only does she make numerous life long
friends, find her own confidence, deepen her renewed faith, she also finally
understands that the love and happiness we all crave comes from within.
There are
many excuses in life that we use to leave our faith behind or questions God’s
very existence; disillusionment with our political and religious leaders,
personal tragedies we cannot comprehend, war itself, let alone the horrendous
war crimes committed against our fellow man. All too often we turn to Him
only when we are desperate, when we should talk to Him with gratitude, as
well. We need to be teaching the next generations the importance of
faith.
Alberta H.
Sequeira is married and lives with her husband in Rochester,
MA. She relaxes by reading, gardening
and in the portrayal of this powerful story, we know she enjoys her
writing. This is her first published novel.
There are so many life lessons to be found in this
book. Alberta has also
enlightened many families about the benefits provided by accepting help from
the Hospice Association.
I would Highly
Recommend this novel to readers of all faith and spiritual viewpoints.
Reviewer: Cheryl Ellis, Allbooks Reviews
Available at: www.publishAmerica.com or www.ahealingheart.net
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Miracles Happen, December 22, 2006
Reviewed by Joanne Benham for Reader Views, www.readerviews.com, Austin, Texas 12/06
In
1986, Alberta Sequeira asked her father if he believed in miracles. His
answer was an unequivocal yes. Four years later, Alberta had to put all
of her faith in miracles as her beloved father lay dying of cancer.
Although Alberta's prayers were not answered in the way she wished, the
long hours spent with her father before his death, seeing his
unshakeable faith in God, began to reawaken her own sadly neglected
faith in God. Then, in 1993, as she was preparing to enter the hospital
for her own surgery, trying to put up a brave front for her family
while inwardly frightened to death, she experienced her own miracle as
the voice of God came to her the night before surgery and told her, "Do
not be afraid. I'll be with you." An enormous sensation of peace came
over her and she didn't even need to take the tranquilizers the doctor
prescribed for her.
After a surprise encounter in Medway,
Massachusetts, Alberta makes the decision to visit Medjugorje, in
Bosnia, where six people claimed to be receiving visits from the
Blessed Mother Mary. Once she made up her mind to go, nothing could
stop her, not her health, her fear of flying or the refusal of her
husband to accompany her. All she knew was that she had to go. And so
the preparations began. Buoyed with the well-wishes of her friends and
family, loaded with prayer requests she is determined to honor, Alberta
sets out on the longest journey of her life.
The visit to
Medjugorje is filled with joy and miracles as Alberta comes to realize
that true joy and happiness come from within, when people turn their
lives over to God rather than focusing on material possessions. She
returns home, spiritually recharged, ready to undertake her mission for
God, fighting Satan as he continues to tempt the weak in an effort to
win their souls.
I was reading this book by flashlight as I
sat for the fifth day in a row in a house that had lost all power from
a winter storm. Wrapped in two quilts, a heavy winter coat and
insulated boots, I read this passage from the book: "...we will all
suffer, whether it is mentally or physically. It's our punishment for
our sins: like Adam and Eve. Jesus waits for us to offer up our
suffering and trust in Him." So I closed my eyes and prayed that our
family would get through this...my mother, who is 75, my younger
brother who has a heart condition and finally for myself because I hate
cold weather. At the exact moment I finished my prayer, the lights came
on. Most people will scoff and say it was just a coincidence. They'll
never convince me...I know what happened.
"A Healing Heart: A Spiritual Renewal" will annoy most unbelievers. For the faithful, it will be a reaffirmation.
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Nancy Brady, A reviewer, 12/05/2006 
Alberta
put in to words what many of us feel when we go through a family
crisis. It was very real and heart felt. I think many of us are
surprised at how we all act and feel during these crisis's and are
afraid to express that, Alberta was not. She told of the good and the
bad, it made you feel like you lived it with her. I am sure most of us
could relate to her book. Also during her trip when she spoke of the
different places she visited you felt like you were there. For me it
was a book that I could not put down. A must have for Christmas.
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| Moving *****
Fred Kawa (Whitman, MA) 10/23/06
A Healing Heart was one of the best books that I have ever read! For
me, it wasn't simply an interesting book to read. It turned out to be a
complete experience that literally made me cry three times before I got
to the 8th chapter. I
am truly impressed. The author did a wonderful job portraying her
experience, emotions, spirituality and, not only a strong message, but
a very appropriate message, especially in the final chapter.
I received the book less than 5 days ago and from the moment I opened it up, I couldn't put it down again. She delivered
a powerful message. I'm glad she shared her story and gave me not only
an insight to her father but a greater insight to God. I
will recommend it to everyone I know, and I honestly believe that
anyone who has lost a loved one should read it regardless of their
faith.
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New Reader 
Annette Gammon
E. Freetown, MA (10/14/2006)
I
am an not a reader but I must say that this book has me hooked. My
husband and I are taking turns reading, and it comes down to whoever
picks it up first gets to read that night.
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Spiritual
Donna Sousa
West Warwick, Rhode Island, USA (9/23/2006)
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A Healing Heart by author, Alberta
Sequeira, kept my interest throughout the book. There were times, I
couldn't put it down. It was inspiring and uplifting. It was written
with great faith through the Holy Spirit.
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Powerful & Emotional
- Candice M. Martin, Author, Reflections In My Tears & Petals of Life: A Survivors Writings.
Massachusetts (9/22/2006)
A
Healing Heart, by Author Alberta H. Sequeira is not only a poignant
look into the relationship between a father and daughter, but also
shows how said daughter deals with the loss of the father. Throughout
the book, Ms. Sequeira places her inner most feelings on the pages for
all to read and to grasp, not only the bond she and her father shared,
but also how his death affected her. Through her travels and faith, Ms.
Sequeira is able to find a way to cope with that loss, find her own
inner healing, and at the same time, share her faith with others. I
would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has that special
father-daughter bond, those who have ever lost a parent and struggled
to get past the grieving process, those seeking spiritual reading and
anyone who loves a good book! This book is a must buy.
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Refreshing
Steven Manchester, Author, The Unexpected Storm; Jacob Evans; Pressed Pennies
Massachusetts (9/22/2006)
"I
was very impressed with Alberta Sequeira's latest work, A Healing
Heart. The writing is honest and familiar, while the story is easily
relatable and quite real. As a once-converted Catholic who is now
repulsed by the church's recent scandals, I appreciated the message of
awareness and found her faith refreshing. From the depths of a
daughter's love to the nail-biting journey.
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