You Don’t Owe Anyone: Available Now!
Free yourself from the weight of expectations and move forward without apology.
Subscribe to A Wish Come Clear and get access to the first chapter of You Don’t Owe Anyone.
Visit the You Don’t Owe Anyone book page for links to order and bonus gifts!
Broadleaf Books (an imprint of 1517 Media; formerly under the umbrella of Fortress Press) will publish Caroline’s first full-length book, You Don’t Owe Anyone, on April 20, 2021. See below for the Publisher’s Lunch announcement, which reads:
Speaker and coach Caroline McGraw’s YOU DON’T OWE ANYONE, about helping those who struggle with seeking affirmation outside themselves, [sold] to Lil Copan at Augsburg Fortress Press, in a nice deal, by Angela Scheff at Christopher Ferebee (world).
I Was a Stranger to Beauty
Kindle Single, originally published by ThinkPiece Publishing, 2013
*If you don’t have a Kindle, don’t worry! Read the Kindle book online with Amazon’s free Kindle Cloud Reader.
Amazon.com Book Overview:
How can you keep loving someone who seems to be destroying your family? And how can you separate a beloved person from their terrible actions? I Was a Stranger to Beauty invites readers to walk the road of loving people as they are … a narrow, challenging road that leads to vistas of unimagined splendor.
Writer Caroline McGraw shares her arduous (yet joyous) journey toward acceptance of her only sibling, Willie. Willie, a young man on the autism spectrum, struggles with self-injurious and aggressive behavior. Caroline and her parents do their best to offer help and support, but Willie’s behavioral challenges continue. In the face of this seemingly-insurmountable difficulty, can they find a way to carry on as a family?
I Was a Stranger to Beauty follows Caroline as she makes an unexpected transition: from angry sibling of a young man with autism to full-time caregiver for adults with special needs. After graduating from top-ranked Vassar College, Caroline takes a detour from her plan to write professionally in order to become a live-in direct care worker at a L’Arche home.
L’Arche, a faith-based non-profit wherein people with and without intellectual disabilities share life together, is Caroline’s training ground for forgiveness.
As she forges new relationships at L’Arche, Caroline finds herself at the threshold of a new space – a space of simplicity, small wonders, and overarching peace. In her work as a caregiver, Caroline falls in love with people with special needs, and begins to see the kind of things that only they can show her … namely, how to love, and not fear, her brother.
Buy the book for $2.99.
5% of proceeds from the first month’s sales went to support L’Arche Washington DC.
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Next, let’s talk free, from me to you.
I created Getting Real and Letting Go: A Collection of Quotes for Recovering Perfectionists because of what I learned from my friend Leo (not his real name). Leo has special needs, and once when he was asked, “What does it mean to be human?” he responded, “To be humble.”
I thought that was a pretty profound answer, since human and humble have the same root, humus, from the earth. But the questioner followed up by asking Leo another question: “OK, but what does it mean to be humble?”
And Leo said, “Well … I don’t know. But I think it helps…not to be afraid of your faults.”
So do I … and that’s why I created this little book for you.
You see, a while back I started spontaneously compiling quotes on perfectionism, words of wisdom that empowered me to follow Leo’s advice. Whenever I felt tense and stressed, I’d open my file and read a quote or two.
This simple ritual made me laugh, helped me breathe, and reminded me to let go of perfection and embrace people instead. In short, these quotes have helped me to be less afraid of my faults … and I hope that they offer the same gift to you.
The ebook is available as a free digital download on Google Drive.
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It’s about living a life grounded in self-respect. It’s about loving yourself, so that you can love others from a place of peace.
The ebook is available as a free digital download on Google Drive.
Caregiving relationships and personal growth are not mutually exclusive. (Getting sufficient sleep every night may be a different story.)
I’m on a mission to let you know that, in the midst of the medication refills and the hassle of hectic appointments, the love you give and receive each day is priceless.
Your work is of tremendous value in our world, but sometimes, it gets hard to see and believe that. That’s where I come in.
Because at the end of the day (when you’re spent and just wish you had someone to help you get ready for bed and brush your teeth), it’s difficult to see the bigger picture. At times like these, it’s tough to recall why you signed on for the challenges that come with caregiving.
But allow me to introduce you to a book that will remind you of the truth you already know, deep down: your choice to care means everything.
Love’s Subversive Stance: Ground Yourself & Grow In Relationship is a collection of stories centered on this question: how can we honor our passions and our caregiving relationships at the same time? In caring for others, how can we become more fully ourselves?
This book is NOT a quick-fix. Instead, it’s about telling true stories…the sort of stories that will allow you to become rooted and grow. It’s about examining the seemingly insignificant details of your day, and seeing what they say about you and your relationships.
The print book contains 90+ pages of stories for people who want to say YES to standing on the subversive soil of love. To learn more and hear what readers are saying, go to the Love’s Subversive Stance main page.
The ebook is available as a free digital download on Google Drive. You can also order the full-color print book for $20 via Amazon.
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I aim to describe and display my books as accurately as possible. However, I cannot guarantee that certain features (such as varying print colors and sizes) will be completely accurate. Likewise, I cannot guarantee their uses for your particular circumstances and purposes. Please do not accept that the product descriptions contained on this website are entirely accurate, current, or error-free. Occasionally, I may correct errors in pricing and merchandise descriptions.