Maria: A Mother's Heart (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781523254422)

About the Author Sidney Joyce Smart: is a retired registered nurse, turned author, with a passion for those with disabilities ranging from physical to emotional to mental illnesses. After having been employed as a nurse in a wide range of fields for almost forty years, she felt that her expertise could now be used to open the area of disability, as it affects the Body of Christ, the church. She has been a volunteer, working with children of all ages in many different church settings for over fifty years. Recently this interest focused in on the need for ministry to those with disabilities and their friends and families in all churches, regardless of size or belief system. Sidney (Syd) earned a BSN in nursing at the University of New Mexico, a Masters in Adult Education at the same school and a doctorate in Christian Education at Freedom Bible College and Seminary. She has been a long-time member of the National and New Mexico Autism Societies, serving on the Board of Directors for the latter recently. She also served on the Board of Directors for the Cerebral Palsy Parents Association in New Mexico, during which time she became a first generation trainer for SibShops, a sibling support group model out of Seattle, Washington and presently hosting SibShops all over the world. Syd has been widowed just over two years and was able to move back to a small village in New Mexico which she has always considered home. Her hope continues to be that she will remain involved in active projects teaching and training others how to deal with God's special people, those with disabilities. She can be contacted via email at: smart26@msn.com.