Quiet Strength: The Faith, the Hope, and the Heart of a Woman Who Changed a Nation

EE Miller says, "Some things are worth repeating." Parks repeats herself in Quiet Strength. However, it's not redundant. It's more about personality and convictions. The Bible, psalms, hymns---all of these---were important to Parks, and repeatedly she says so. Quiet Strength, to me, was more of a setting the record straight after having responded with silence to questions about her strength. And she made it clear, (as she probably has a million times to those who have listened) that her strength is from the Lord. For example, Parks stated, "I felt the Lord would give me the strength to endure whatever I had to face. God did away with all my fear. It was time for someone to stand up---or in my case, sit down. I refused to move. It is funny to me how people came to believe that the reason that I did not move from my seat was that my feet were tired. My feet were not tired, but I was tired--tired of unfair treatment." Again, Parks, in her quiet strength way, provides correction when she said, "I was not the only person involved. I was just one of the many who fought for freedom." Quiet Strength---in a world of vociferous boasting----is a position/posture/idea worthy of a seat and a spell.

It's amazing: this one courageous woman who simply stood up for her beliefs on December 1, 1955 started one of the largest and most influential civil rights movements in history. This book truly reflects Ms. Parks' in her 'essence.' It is a small collection of her thoughts and experiences. Yet these thoughts convey a very personal and profound impact on anyone reading and meditating on them. What is sad (as I have noted in my title) is the fact that Ms. Parks recently passed away at age 92, just 9 days before I worte this; her funeral was held today in Detroit. May she rest in peace.

Quiet Strength, by Rosa Parks is an amazing display of one woman's journey to understanding why. Why she and her people needed to justify themselves. Why she had to sit a certain place on a bus. Why she was so tired. Rosa Parks is grounded in her source of Quiet Strength through her relationship with her Creator - God. This relationship has been reinforced by her family and culture. "Love, not fear must be our guide," Rosa states - I would recommend this book to every human being who has a heart and soul.