Available NOW!! See below for ordering details!

December Greetings!

It amazes me how the year flies by, and it is Christmas again. What a year it has been. Last year at this time, a new record, brand new website and promotional DVD project were just hopeful items on my future "to do list." I also had no idea that battling ovarian cancer would be my most important project in 2006.

A year later, The Music of Life CD is not just a reality, it is in stores! My website, www.ruthmcginnis.com, has launched, and the promotional DVD is packaged and done. But most importantly, this week I will have my last scheduled chemo treatment, with good reason to hope that my season with cancer is nearly done.

This has been one of the richest years of my life. Though I would never have chosen the diagnosis of cancer, I have to admit that all of the things most important to me - my relationships, music, and creativity - have become more beautiful and meaningful than they ever could have been, had I not become ill. My Christmas wish to all of you is that whatever this year has laid at your doorstep, you would be able to say the same. As I reminded a dear friend recently, all we truly know when we wake up in the morning is that we have the day in front of us to live.

I pray that during this season of hope, we can embody this truth by gratefully and vibrantly living each present day.

Are you interested in booking Ruth and The Acoustic Trio for your private event? Please contact us at info@ruthmcginnis.com   ****  Ruth's Acoustic Trio is Karin Simmons - Keyboards; John Pell - Guitar; Dennis Solee - All things wind!

LIVE: Ruth and The Acoustic Trio

Davis Kidd at the Green Hills Mall

Sunday, December 17th

4:30 - 6:30pm

Stop in for a cup of coffee to warm your Christmas spirits!

You can also find all of Ruth's Music and Books at Davis Kidd

... a great Christmas gift idea!

 The Music of Life

is hot off the press and available now!!

(and it makes a terrific Christmas gift!) 

*** 

In fact, it is so brand-spankin' new that we

can't even sell it on our website yet!!

So, if you want one or two (or more...),

please send an email to info@ruthmcginnis.com

and Karin will help you get one in time for the holidays!

(Checks & money orders only.) 

You can also find Ruth's products

at these fine retailers near you:

Davis Kidd Booksellers

at the Green Hills Mall

St. Mary's Bookstore

on West End Avenue

Belle Meade Drugstore

(in the Gift Shop) on White Bridge Road, across from Target

Logos Bookstore

in Green Hills

The Shoppe for Simple Pleasures

810 NW Broad St. in Murfreesboro

Tips for Healthy Living

December's Recipe of the Month

Okay, well Christmas Cookies aren't exactly what we think of when the word "healthy" is mentioned. But shouldn't we indulge just a little? It is Christmas, don't you know!

Please enjoy the following two recipes responsibly ...

Chocolate Brittle

Saltine Crackers

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 bag chocolate chips

1 bag of chopped pecans 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.

Line the cookie sheet with saltine crackers (salty side up) on the sheet until the bottom is completely covered. 

In a heavy pot combine the butter and brown sugar. Bring to a rolling boil and allow to boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add baking soda.

Pour mixture over the saltine crackers and bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and pour chocolate chips over the saltines. Once they're melted, spread evenly over the crackers. Top with pecans if desired and chill for 2 hours. 

Break apart into bite sized pieces ... enjoy!! 

********************

Butter Cookies 

2 sticks butter - softened
2/3 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Cream butter & sugar with an electric mixer.
Add egg yolks and vanilla - beat well.
In another bowl, combine flour & salt.
Add flour mixture to creamed mix - mix until combined.

Use your favorite cookie press to make whatever shapes you like best.
Top with decorative sprinkles for a festive look.
Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes or until golden.

 Celebrating the Imperfect Life!

Seminars and Workshops on Well-being

After being diagnosed with ovarian cancer, Ruth is even more

inspired and committed to share her message of well-being,

life meaning and balance, to encourage audiences

of all ages to Celebrate the Imperfect Life.

Ruth is currently scheduling events for 2007.

If you are interested in booking a Music of Life seminar

or workshop event, please contact Karin at

info@ruthmcginnis.com

The Music of Life:

Journal Entries from my Season with Cancer

For many years, I have included a story in my speaking presentations, about the author, A. Manette Ansay, who wrote Vinegar Hill, an Oprah Book Club pick and New York Times bestseller. The story is actually from her less well known memoir, Limbo, which documents her experience with a mysterious "possible multiple sclerosis" condition which ended her career as a classically trained pianist in her early twenties.

Ansay's story reveals some compelling truths about the nature of life, the way it unfolds despite our well-laid plans. While searching for meaning and purpose as a profoundly disabled young woman, Ansay poured her creative gifting into writing fiction, reinvented her life, and became hugely successful as an author. She comments at the end of Limbo, "I have to admit that my life could not be what it is, had I not fallen ill."

Ironically, I met A. Manette Ansay at a book signing event this June, very shortly before I started to feel unwell. I had followed her career with much interest, and was so happy to hear that she'd found successful treatment for her illness, and in mid-life was healthier than she had been in years - no longer using a wheelchair, and the mother of a young child! I was delighted to be able to tell her how I'd used excerpts from Limbo in my talks on well-being, as an inspiring example of the resilience of the human spirit and the ability we all have to bounce back from unimaginable challenges.

As I have traveled a path this season, far from my own well-laid plans, I have thought often of how mysteriously prepared I was for this journey. One of the great blessings has been that I never thought cancer couldn't happen to me. I know, and have known for a long time that anything can happen to anyone at any time - a truth I explored in depth in my own memoir, Breathing Freely.  While in the hospital, recovering from my hysterectomy in July, I had a lot of time to think about how I was going to navigate this season - the discomforts of chemo, the loss of hair, the fear of losing my life. I knew I was facing a serious diagnosis, but I just never saw myself succumbing to cancer. I knew there would be tough days, but I was infused with faith that I could get through my treatments while continuing to live the life I love.

As A. Manette Ansay remarks near the end of her memoir, "One of life's few consistent blessings is that we cannot know the future. At any moment, all that we claim as our own might be instantly swept away. And yet, it's this precarious balance that drives us to value what we have, to cling to the world as we do."

How well I know the truth of these words. None of us can know the future, except that it will always be a combination of the things we wish for, and things we would not choose. My season with cancer has only affirmed my belief in the awesome resilience of body, mind and spirit in the face of dire circumstances we'd never choose. I am filled to the brim with Hope and Gratitude, amazed at the life story I have been blessed to write with God's help. It is an unexpected gift.