© SANJAY N. PATEL
Thank you, dear reader, for visiting my garden. It is my prayer that, by engaging your heart, mind, and senses, you will have discovered that you are God’s greatest delight. You can share your own story at our Come to the Garden website, www.cometothegardenbook.com, and even download group study materials for your book clubs and Bible study groups. And I’ve placed downloadable images of my watercolors painted especially for the book on our site. As I have invited you to share your stories, allow me to share a bit more about myself.
Raised in northeast Ohio on the shores of Lake Erie, I began cultivating my deepest passions at an early age, beginning with a close and loving family. Saturday morning lessons at the Cleveland Museum of Art fostered my great appreciation for fine art. An invitation as a young teenager to attend the Metropolitan Opera’s performance of Madame Butterfly as the guest of the opera’s cellist inspired my love for music and theater. And our family’s country home in southern Indiana nurtured the deep sense of peace I find in spending quiet time with God’s creation.
And baseball! I grew up in Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Indians organization, where my father served as physician and medical director. Attendance through the years at countless games and several World Series and Baseball Hall of Fame ceremonies carved a special place in my heart for America’s favorite pastime.
I earned a bachelor of science degree in speech pathology and audiology from Kent State University and became a lifelong member of the Delta Gamma fraternity. In 1997, I relocated to Houston with my husband, Guy, and this is when I spent four inspiring years serving as a lay minister for the Spiritual Care Department at the Methodist Hospital.
Passionate about the study of God’s Word, I am a seasoned Bible study and small group leader and an active member of The Woodlands United Methodist Church, where I also sing in the chancel choir.
On occasional weekends throughout the year, I can be found at area racetracks “pit-crewing” for my husband’s auto racing weekends. My other interests include watercolor painting, cooking, gardening, reading, and spending time with our dogs.
Of all my passions, my greatest joy comes from the quiet devotional time I spend each morning. Spending time in prayer and praise “establishes the foundation for my day. I take my Lord’s hand and we approach each new day, each new adventure, together.”
MEET THE AUTHORS, WATCH VIDEOS AND MORE AT
Facebook.com/HowardBooksSimonandSchuster
Twitter.com/Howard_Books