Awakening Courage

Awakening Courage tells the story of one woman's lifelong mission to make the life she lives reflect the beliefs she holds.

Always seeking to widen her understanding of the world, Gretchen Lara-Shartle seizes opportunities to live with families in France, India, Japan, and Mexico. In the 1980s she becomes deeply engaged in conflicts in Central America, conflicts exacerbated by her own country's government. Later, greedy landowners and unjust Texas laws move Gretchen to action near the US-Mexico border. Along the way she encounters the workings of both saints and scalawags. Ultimately, she meets the love of her life, Jorge Lara-Braud.

The causes Gretchen embraces, along with her continuing belief in the centrality of meditation and prayer, help her define true courage. Gretchen's moral commitment to defend the rights and dignity of others becomes the central focus of her life. One of her unique gifts is her ability to enlist others in seemingly impossible causes and big ideas.

Awakening Courage is peppered with joyful experiences like dancing on the border of Nicaragua and Honduras to the tune of mariachis and in the South Texas sun to the music of builders' guitars. May Gretchen's life stories inspire you to open your heart, live your life fully, take action, and find joy.