{"product_id":"alices-friendship-bench-9798546650896","title":"Alice's Friendship Bench","description":"At seventy-two, Alice Mertens is not finished with life. She is starting a new one. A new mission. Alice is part of the first class of Friendship Bench peer counselors at a local hospital. She will meet folks in the shade, hear their troubles and cheer for their triumphs. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eNever mind that she has no grandkids, Alice and the Friendship Bench in this Midwestern city are following the inspiration of an organization in Zimbabwe. Grannies there sat on benches in public parks and listened to the traumas and trials of people who survived wars and famine. And they offered hope to people struggling to survive their daily lives. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn Alice's town, people have survived the pandemic and are ready to get out and get together. At least to sit on a bench outside. She offers consolation and hope that she has absorbed from her years of faith and her personal prayer life. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe genesis of the Friendship Bench in Africa was a lack of mental health professionals. In the United States, there are certainly more counselors than in Zimbabwe. But there are people in Alice's city who are shy about meeting with psychologists or psychiatrists, even if some of these folks would surely benefit from professional treatment. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAt home, Alice and her husband Randal are getting back to their life as it was before the pandemic. Even more, they are opening to new opportunities. Retired but not resigned.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=AUTH-6873773\"\u003eJeffrey McClain Jones\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/30\/2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 254\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.72lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.58d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798546650896\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN10:\u003c\/b\u003e 8546650896\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBISAC Categories:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-FIC\"\u003eFiction\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-FIC042000\"\u003eChristian | General\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThis title is not returnable\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Independently Published","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44578497855725,"sku":"9798546650896","price":17.48,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0550\/8097\/6621\/products\/img_6c35f50c-dd4e-45f9-a784-31d87fecd6b4.jpg?v=1702048349","url":"https:\/\/sureshotbooks.com\/products\/alices-friendship-bench-9798546650896","provider":"SureShot Books Publishing LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}