Hearts: Finding Unexpected Signs of Hope, Comfort, and Joy

by Roze Worrell

“For some, it's butterflies or ladybugs. For others, it's cardinals. As for me, I feel God's presence and hear his messages of encouragement and assurance with hearts," says author Roze Worrell. But it wasn't always that way. After a series of significant life events, including the loss of a cherished heart necklace, FBI agent turned advice columnist Roze Worrell started finding hearts. Everywhere. She wasn't looking for them. They just started appearing. From rocks to bits of foil, charms to blotches of oil, each "heart-find" appeared at a particular time and seemed to deliver a particular message. To Roze, they were God's way of telling her, "It's okay." "I'm here." "You have all you need." Roze started documenting the phenomenon with photos and journal entries, sharing her discoveries with friends and family members. These "field notes" not only resonated with them but they also started noticing the presence of hearts in their own lives. In HEARTS, Roze shares forty-thre e of her favorite finds-from hundreds found over forty plus years-conveying how the ordinary and the extraordinary alike have been divine interventions in her life, just as they are sure to be for all who find and read her story. HEARTS is a beautiful, thoughtful gift book for yourself, for a friend, for anyone who is picking up the pieces, looking for signs, or in need of a love note.

112 pages, Hardcover

Published November 3, 2024

About the author

In her debut book, HEARTS: Finding Unexpected Signs of Hope, Comfort, and Joy, Roze Worrell explores the profound experience of connecting with God through the simple pleasure of seeing signs and seeking their meanings. Her fresh approach to the divine embraces equal parts coincidence and providence. Her practical take-aways offer a guide to living well no matter the circumstance. For fifteen years, Roze dispensed commonsense advice for common workplace problems through her trusted column, Workplace Woes—Roze Knows, which ran in The Virginian-Pilot and on ABC-TV affiliate websites. Her workplace consultancy philosophy, H.E.A.R.T. (Honesty, Empathy, Adaptability, Responsibility, and Teamwork), was inspired by an intense outdoor survival course. Its foundational principles inform her approach to work, life, and writing. Before becoming an author and small business owner, Roze worked for the Dow Chemical Company, Virginia Opera, and the FBI. She earned a B.A. in American Government from the University of Virginia and an M.A. in Humanities from Old Dominion University. Roze and her husband, Brad, live in Norfolk, VA, where she continues to write and speak about the heart, from the heart.

Reviews

[S. Mundie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful and beautiful Book that is not only about hearts, but is full of heart.

This book has a special place in my heart now! It is beautifully written:) It nourishes your heart and soul. It is a book meant to savor.. a few pages a day. A book to ponder. It warmed my heart, made me smile and encouraged me. It is a treasure chest of positivity and realness.

I plan to purchase many as gifts for family/friends. It is a great book for someone who needs encouragement, for someone who is sick, someone who is going through a big change in life (good and bad changes), for a wedding party, for a new home, for a new couple, birthdays, holidays, etc.

[Veronica Calkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

HEARTS: Finding Unexpected Signs of Hope, Comfort, and Joy is an absolute must read. Roze’s “heart” finds and stories that coincide with them just shows you that we all have our own “signs” that play a part in our lives that pop up when it’s needed. This is a book you can read over again when you feel you need that little hope, that little love, and overall little smile. This is a book that can be shared for all. 💯 recommend!

[Liz patino · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful and heart-felt book. It is a wonderful combination of the author’s vision and amazing pictures of her heart-finds along with quotations. It is destined to be a classic like “Gifts from the Sea.” I will treasure and keep this book and return to it when I need some perspective. I agree with the other reviewers that this book will make a wonderful gift.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like the author’s heart-finds, this book found me at time when it was needed and truly a heart-find. A quick read or a leisurely read. Some pieces may speak directly to you and about a special, happy, sad, tragic or gleeful moment. I’ve breezed through parts and gone back to some pieces. I look forward to keeping it handy and reading parts or all again and again.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This inspirational book conveys the delight one can find in slowing down and recognizing the signs of hope that God gives us each day. I especially enjoyed reading the author's background of how she discovered the "heart" as a guidepost for her life. Each heart-find story with a related quote was uplifting and encouraged the reader to find the positive in all circumstances. Her final heart-finds shared in the book tied in with the beginning and showed how these signs from God gave the author the strength to get through more recent difficult times. 

This is a perfect book to give as a gift for a graduation, wedding, birth, or to someone who is going through a difficult time. The book and pictures are just beautiful!

[Boo · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is so easy these days to look around and see the bad or negative things in the world. Reading Roze’s uplifting book shows that by looking at things a little differently one can find “hope, comfort, and joy” in simple daily things.

By sharing her Outward Bound and losing her mother’s neckless stories, Roze shows us that we can experience difficult times in life but still see positive things all around us by simple opening our eyes and looking.

Seeing and feeling negative is a road a lot of us travel and is sometimes easier. Finding the good in people and things in this world might be harder but is much more rewarding once you take that path.

This is a great read and gift to give to people in your life for a special celebration or just because you want to lift their spirits.

[Martha Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading "Hearts", my first instinct was to order a big box of the books and pass them out to everyone. Roz truly speaks from her heart to all our hearts. While reading, I felt as if she was actually talking with me. Her journey of "heart-finds" inspire us to find love, hope, comfort and faith in our own lives knowing that we are not alone. She threads her life experiences through inspiring messages, quotes and pictures. It is definitely a book you will read many times and share with others.
A fabulous, must read!

MAF

[Ken Overton · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been many years since I have read a book, mainly due to sight problems. I recently had cataract surgery on both eyes and can see much better.
HEARTS is the first book I've read and I'm glad that it was. There are several articles I can really relate to, and others that cause me to pause and think.
I think the author has a very keen eye on seeing Hearts out of most anything. Her Hearts become a form of communication between her and God, Angels, and her parents. I too have different items that when I see them I am reminded of certain people or things in my life.
I certainly recommend this little book of HEARTS and the stories that go with them.
Ken

[Sandra K. Taub · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful book will be included as one of my holiday gifts to family and friends. With few words on each page, the author connects small, seemingly mundane treasures into thought-provoking
moments. Throughout the description of her life story, Ms. Worrell's thoughtful and creative eye has found meaningful hearts in so many different places, and her unedited cell phone photos attest to their authenticity. It's a book that one can pick up, read a page or two, and find comfort and inspiration.

[Martha Gayle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Treasures from the Heart
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2024
This book is a thoughtful compilation of personal observations that hold universal truths. The author reminds us to pay attention to the gentle signs in our daily lives that connect us to faith and joy. There is beauty to be discovered in the mundane if we open our eyes, minds and hearts. We are gently persuaded to be more attentive.. aware of small signs that lead to greater connection. To our collective heart.
A perfect holiday book that rejoices in truth, hope and wonder.

[Anita Weaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolutely beautiful book. You can feel so much love and compassion on every page. The warmth and kindness and desire to make this world a better place oozes from the author’s words. It would make a great inspirational gift, look elegant on a coffee table and also just picked up daily for a morning boost. The simplicity, yet depth of writing makes Hearts a very special book that will touch everyone.

[Connie A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a treasure, one that provides the mind with "food for thought" and often changes perspectives. It is rich in wisdom and filled with fascinating, heart-warming quotes, some familiar and some new. I draw great comfort from this book, often re-reading it on days when I need a boost in my spirit. I've read every word with a smile on my face and often with tears in my eyes. Roze Worrell has accomplished a remarkable work that would be an asset to anyone's collection!

[Nancy Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet book. This is a gentle book that packs a powerful punch. Each page offers personal stories but with universal messages to each and every reader. I swept through it, but know I can go back to it again and again. Wow.