Psychotherapist Stephanie Dowrick outlines six virtues in this book that have taught her about "honor, strength, humility, steadfastness, and endurance." The author of "Intimacy and Solitude" turned to these redeeming qualities while dealing with breast cancer in the midst of divorce and custody proceedings. Dowrick quotes from a variety of Eastern and Western spiritual and psychological teachings as well as from writers such as Carl Jung, Robert Fulghum, Deepak Chopra, Thich Nhat Hanh, Matthew Fox, and others.
She affirms courage as "love's miraculous face" and generosity as a testament to connectedness and spirit. Dowrick agrees with Piero Ferrucci's definition of fidelity: "To be faithful to another-whether a person, principle, or divinity-means being faithful to oneself." Restraint and tolerance are both the fruits of maturity. Dowrick believes that forgiveness "is an act of supreme love and gentleness." It is one way to heal ourselves and the world at the same time.
