In the hands of Chieko Okazaki, an ordinary scrap of string evolves into a delightful cat's cradle pattern. With equal expertise and enthusiasm she radiates her testimony of the brightness of hope that the gospel brings.

A bumper sticker she quotes could well be a summary of this collection of addresses: 'Hard -hat Construction Area: Christian Under Construction.' She adds: 'We're all Christians Under Construction, and that's an area where we need hard hats. It's... a little risky sometimes.'

Sister Okazaki shares her personal experiences reaching out to the reader with love, support, and encouragement. Her often penetrating insights into the test of mortal life ring with truth and sincerity. Just as with the pattern of the cat's cradle, our lives connect and intersect. She describes those intersections in both inspiring and practical terms over a broad spectrum of topics: partnership in marriage and in church callings; love, the heart of the gospel; the process and the joy of service; replacing circles that exclude the circles that include; the changes life brings and the responses we choose; how to accept and handle our mistakes; bringing hope and growth out of adversity; using the flowers of our lives for either joy or consolation, as needed; and much more. Pervading every address is Sister Okazaki's sense of the reality of Jesus Christ and how we can make his cause-love- more deeply our own.

Sister Okazaki has the striking ability to preach the gospel with power while still contributing to our much needed guilt-reduction diet. Here she is at her vigorous best--poignant, humorous, encouraging, and profound. Her refreshing optimism and her eloquent affirmation of the Savior's redemptive love illuminate the pages of this book.