Valparaiso Family YMCA Presents, “The God Box, A Daughter’s Story” on December 12th

God-BoxCelebrate love, family and triumph this holiday season with best-selling author Mary Lou Quinlan.

Amazed by the unexpected success of her memoir The God Box: Sharing My Mother’s Gift of Faith, Love and Letting Go, author Mary Lou Quinlan has found a new purpose in life: to spread the inspirational example of her mother’s simple faith.

The God Box is a keepsake memoir detailing Quinlan's story of a remarkable discovery she made after her mother's death: two decades of notes tucked away in her mother's 10 "God Boxes." Inside were hundreds of handwritten prayers filled with her hopes and concerns for family, friends and strangers, stored safely for release and resolution. Finding these treasures crystallized a mission of sorts for Quinlan to spread the example of her mother’s faith. “She inhaled a worry and exhaled a prayer,” said Quinlan. “Seeing the tangible evidence of her belief was a huge motivation for me and for everyone who has been touched by this remarkable story.”

Quinlan co-developed a one-woman, one-act play, The God Box, A Daughter's Story, with playwright and director Martha Wollner. In her one-woman show, Mary Lou explores the laughter and tears of the story of a family in love, in loss and in triumph. “I wanted to pay forward my Mother’s generous spirit with the God-given talents she nurtured in me as a writer, speaker and actress.”

The Valparaiso show is on December 12 at 7 p.m. at the Memorial Opera House in Valparaiso. The Memorial Opera House is located at 104 Indiana in Valparaiso. Tickets for the show are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Tickets are available online at http://www.mohlive.com/events or at the Valparaiso Family YMCA Courtesy Desk. Books will be available for purchase and signing at the end of the performance for $15. All proceeds will benefit the Valparaiso Family YMCA Better Together Campaign, helping to ensure a healthy, vibrant and secure Y for future generations by reducing capital debt.