![\"NLataif-7\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/121\/2014\/10\/NLataif-7.jpg\")
<\/a>\u201cIf you save her life, I promise to dedicate my life to You.\u201d<\/p>\nAt age 19, Nicole Lataif<\/a> made that promise to God while riding in the elevator at Boston Children\u2019s Hospital where her 12-year-old sister was a few hours away from succumbing to cancer. Then, an instant later, Nicole changed her mind.<\/p>\n Speaking out loud, she said, \u201cEven if You don\u2019t save her life, I promise to dedicate my life to You.\u201d <\/p>\n In a situation that might have driven some people away from believing in a loving, compassionate God, Nicole\u2019s humility and faith grew stronger. They would grow even more a few hours later when she and her parents sat with her sister on her deathbed, and her heartbroken mother told her child, \u201cIt\u2019s okay, go be with Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n During an interview on \u201cChristopher Closeup,\u201d Nicole recalled, \u201cI remember watching that in complete awe. I felt like I was watching the Virgin Mary when she had to sacrifice her son in the same way\u2026That defining moment was when I realized this life is not about me. It never was. And so, [my sister\u2019s] death led me to faith.\u201d<\/p>\n In the year\u2019s since her sister\u2019s passing, Nicole has not only embraced her Catholic faith, but found a way to live it out in a special way: she writes Catholic books for young children (ages four to eight). Her talent and passion for writing emerged at a young age, so she felt called to pursue a career as an author.<\/p>\n Beyond that, there\u2019s also a cultural reason for her genre choice. She said, \u201cThere\u2019s a deep need for faith-based, value-based books for children. If you turn on any children\u2019s station on television, or just watch how children are acting or dressing, [you can see] there\u2019s a significant migration away from sacrificial love, being respectful, and honoring your body. My goal is to help turn that all around.\u201d<\/p>\n You Can\u2019t Have One Without the Other<\/strong><\/p>\n Though the interconnectedness of our souls and bodies might seem like an adult concept, Nicole knew that she could communicate them in a child-friendly way. <\/p>\n In light of Nicole\u2019s sister\u2019s death, that last concept hits close to home for her, and can be especially comforting to anyone who has lost a loved one.<\/p>\n From Grudges to Forgiveness<\/strong><\/p>\n While going through the toughest time in her life and needing to both forgive and be forgiven, Nicole realized that she had no idea how to learn to practice forgiveness. She discovered a book called \u201cForgiveness: A Catholic Approach\u201d<\/a> by Father Scott Hurd, published by the Daughters of St. Paul (who are also now Nicole\u2019s publishers). <\/p>\n Father Hurd\u2019s book, says Nicole, \u201chelped me through the process of forgiveness, processing my feelings, learning the Christ-like way to forgive step-by-step. For example, [I learned] that forgiveness may take time \u2013 and that\u2019s okay! It\u2019s more important to be genuine with your \u2018sorry\u2019 than to be quick with your \u2018sorry,\u2019 and vice versa. [There\u2019s also] the concept of, \u2018Don\u2019t be a doormat!\u2019 I think that there\u2019s a huge misconception in the Christian community. Jesus told us to forgive seventy times seven times. What that means is not to return evil for evil. It doesn\u2019t mean, \u2018Stick around if you\u2019re being abused.\u2019 So there are a lot of revelations, throughout [Father Hurd\u2019s] book. By the end of it, I knew that I had to write one for kids.\u201d<\/p>\n As Nicole wrote \u201cI Forgive You,\u201d she repeatedly thought back to her \u201cbrattiness as a kid\u201d and asked herself how the steps to forgiveness could have been presented to her as a child in a way that she would have understood them.<\/p>\n<\/a>Nicole\u2019s first book was \u201cForever You: A Book About Your Soul and Body,\u201d<\/a> and it earned a 2012 Christopher Award<\/a> (photo, left<\/em>) for its fun, colorful illustrations (by Mary Rojas) and vital message about \u201cthe soul being present in every moment, action and emotion in a child\u2019s life.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a>She explained, \u201cThe whole book is full of concrete examples of how our soul is animated through our bodies: \u2018Your soul is in your hands when you clap along. It\u2019s in your ears when you hear a song. It\u2019s in your toes when you splash the bath. It\u2019s in your smile when you hug your cat. Your soul is in all you are and do\u2014soul and body, forever you.\u2019 Then we talk about how your soul is in what you feel\u2026It shows through in your hopes\u2026Then we move into your soul showing through when you love your friends, family, God. Where did it come from? \u2018Your soul came from God when your life began. Because He wanted to love you forever.\u2019 We talk about how everyone is a body with a soul\u2026.So, \u2018Your soul is a gift for safekeeping. Care for it and nourish it, protect it, watch what you choose to do. Treat your body with love.\u2019 Then, \u2018Your soul is for helping. To those who are sad, offer comfort. To those who are sick, give care. To those who are hungry, bring food.\u2019 So it\u2019s not just about you; it\u2019s about sacrificing for others and giving. Ultimately, [I write], \u2018Your soul is for God\u2026.Your soul is for heaven, To one day return to God and live with the saints, and the angels, and your family, in your forever body, in your forever home.'\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a>Nicole\u2019s latest book is called \u201cI Forgive You: Love We Can Hear, Ask For and Give\u201d<\/a> (illustrated by Katy Betz) \u2013 and it was inspired by her own shortcomings in this area when she was a child. \u201cI was not a kid who knew how to forgive!\u201d she exclaimed. \u201cI held grudges, especially with my little brother. But yet I never thought I had a problem with forgiveness\u2026until I became an adult. God will stack the bricks on your head if you need to learn something, and that\u2019s exactly what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n