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The power of a woman is most concretely observed in the seeds she plants, day after day, in the lives of those around her. Soul Garden is a sizable collection of personal stories, essays, poems, and recipes written to cultivate the motherly role of women by offering inspiration, camaraderie, and encouragement.

Contributors from across the country and around the world invite readers to put away their screens and to pick up this lovely, tangible book, in which they can find nourishment for the soul and tips for practical life.

Among the nine chapters are “Nurture”, which encourages women in their call to care for the children and other people God has placed in their lives; “Ponder”, which considers the lessons, blessings, and challenges of motherhood; “Dwell”, which suggests ways to create a beautiful home, regardless of a woman’s budget; and “Fiat”, which honors the Blessed Virgin Mary as the model woman.

Soul Garden aims to strengthen the heart of the mother, thereby strengthening the heart of the Church and of society itself.

“Like a well-loved cookbook, Soul Garden feels destined to be thumbed through endlessly, treasured, and passed down from mother to daughter. It contains a wealth of wisdom and inspiration, poetry and artwork. Most important, it is soulful, springing from deep within the hearts of the writers, but with just the right amount of quirkiness to make the reader feel she is among dear friends.”
— Noelle Mering, Author, Awake, Not Woke: A Christian Response to the Cult of Progressive Ideology and Theology of Home: Finding the Eternal in the Everyday

“Motherhood, while deeply fulfilling and spiritually rich, hands us moments of discouragement and fears of isolation. In the absence of a room full of women with whom we can cry and laugh and share daily failures and triumphs alike, this collection of pieces offers encouragement and consolation as women sojourn together in spirit. Soul Garden is companionship on a page.”
— Lindsay Younce Tsohantaridis, Actress and writer

“I was shocked by the audacity of the concept when my dear friend Hope Schneir told me she was retiring her blog to turn it into a real paper-and-ink journal. But nothing could be more fitting than that these beautiful pieces, collected and shared over so many years, filled with wit, wisdom, encouragement, and commiseration, will now live on in book form to continue to inspire women of all generations.”
— Kendra Tierney Norton, Author, The Catholic All Year Compendium: Liturgical Living for Real Life

“Wives and mothers are by nature tenders of the soul, as of a garden—and we often tend gardens too, or would love to learn how. Soul Garden offers women a thoughtful, calm, encouraging compendium of those wise, generous voices we seek but often cannot find in our fractured time. It can be opened at will to provide solace, inspiration, and even practical help, as well as some nice recipes!”
— Leila Marie Lawler, Author, The Summa Domestica: Order and Wonder in Family Life

“For years, Soul Gardening Journal has been a handcrafted gem in a world of faceless online content, and I’ve been happy to subscribe and cheer on its authors. I am delighted that Ignatius Press now has a rich compilation of the best Soul Gardening essays and that even more Catholic women will discover this rooted and grounded journal, which has enriched my life. May the ‘garden’ grow further!”
— Regina Doman, Author, The Culture Recovery Journals and The Fairy Tale Novels series

“Through a collection of short essays, poems, and reflections from a variety of Catholic mothers, the authors invite us to reconsider the merits of our modern, fast-paced lives by stepping back to dwell in the present and ponder living each moment more intentionally. The unique perspective provided in this book will surely help any mom reflect in a new way on the simple joys of motherhood.”
— Emily Jaminet, Author, Holy Habits from the Sacred Heart: Ten Ways to Build Stronger, More Loving Relationships

“Soul Gardening Journal has been a sororal hymn to bodily life, a paean of incarnate womanhood. Finding it in my mailbox made that day a celebration day. Every inch handmade, from the warm pen-and-ink drawings to the prose hymns of appreciation for the physical creation, Soul Garden anchors you firmly in your home soil, while it draws you into the timeless and borderless community of women being women, together.”
— Beth Dougherty, Author, The Independent Farmstead: Growing Soil, Biodiversity, and Nutrient-Dense Food with Grassfed Animals and Intensive Pasture Management