Marcia Gaddis

Marcia Gaddis is the author of the award-winning book, When God Comes Near, published in 2010. She writes a weekly column for her blog, The Olive Branch, and has been writing for three years. New in her craft, she began writing an online journal when her 25-year old daughter was diagnosed with the rare and fatal Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The journal became a book that offers hope and healing to those who choose to read a painful story. At the 2011 Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference in Asheville, North Carolina, her first non-fiction book was awarded three distinguished awards: First Place for Inspiration, The Selah Book of the Year Award and the Director's Choice Award for 2011. She has worked as a Home Economist for the University of Georgia and as the co-host for the gardening television show Backyard America. She attends Peachtree Road United Methodist Church in Atlanta and serves on the board of Kindred Spirit, a non-profit program for pregnant young women in Atlanta. She is married with two adult children and and tries to write and work in her garden every day.

Articles:

Who Will We Be In Our Grief?

I start thinking about Thanksgiving on the first day of November. Who will be at my table and what delicious foods will be served. But yesterday was All Saints Sunday. We remembered those we love who have left this life in the past year. Their names were called as a candle was lit and the bell tolled. We remembered all of those people who have gone on in the past, giving thanks for their lives and their impact on our lives of faith. It is a day of remembrance. It is a day of hope. We face the future without […]

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The Gift: Mother Finds New Connection to Daughter

Like my winter birds who come to the feeder in a variety of ways, Christmas presents come in a variety of packages. Yesterday, I arrived home to find a beautifully wrapped gift on my kitchen counter. I enjoyed just looking at it – so smartly wrapped waiting to open it with the giver. But reading in bed late last night, it was delivered to me. I was encouraged to go ahead and unwrap it so I could use it during Christmas. And I love the gift and will use it – maybe today! But earlier in the day I received […]

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Giving Thanks Even for Our Troubles

It’s a few weeks before Thanksgiving, and I am thankful my family is coming to visit! I am thankful I can get out my mother’s china and polish the silver and set a beautiful table for lots of people I love. I am thankful there are little children who will be running around, pulling the dog’s tail, playing with my children’s outgrown toys. I am thankful we have a comfortable home in which to welcome everyone and plenty of food to share. I am thankful for my friends, my health, and my family’s health, the beauty of the world, my […]

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What Does An Angel Look Like?

A client made a personal visit to my husband’s office the other day.  She had never met his assistant and while talking privately in his office, complimented her happy, helpful spirit and said, “In my mind I had not pictured her to be so joy-filled. I love being around her.”  His response was a question: “Well, what does an angel look like?”  I have thought about that question, certainly affirming that yes, an angel looks just like his assistant.  She daily offers support and encouragement to those around her.  She often brings good news and steps in to correct or […]

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