Mildred “Millie” Francis Dubuisson Fontcuberta was a mother of seven, devoted wife, business woman, and faithful follower of Christ. She was born and raised in New Orleans and later married the boy next door. They started their family in Metairie and eventually moved to Mandeville, LA, putting down deep roots. Millie reveals her inward journey in this beautiful collection of her journals which span nearly forty years. In them, she pours out her heart and soul in prayers and poetry, recounting her life and love of God and family.
As a polio and cancer survivor, and with a life marked with family tragedies, Millie overcame her struggles through faith and devotion to the Lord Jesus and Blessed Mother Mary. Becoming a Third Order Lay Carmelite later in life, her Catholic roots are inspiring and uplifting in the outpouring of emotion and prayer contained in her writings.
To Love Him Above All is divided into sections of profoundly spiritual, yet cleverly simple, poems expressing the joys of motherhood, the tedium of daily living, the anguish of sickness and loss, and contemplation of life and nature. This is the legacy she left to her children and future generations to challenge and inspire you To Love Him Above All.
“I wish I knew your grandmother. I wish I could have sat with her and just asked her about so many things. The blessing is that I feel she has given me a very special piece of her heart. She, to me, is what a saint is all about. Living in this fallen world, struggling, questioning, but having the invaluable gift of her faith to sustain her. She yearned, everyday, for a closer walk with her Savior. Wow! …and she wrote it all down for those of us she left behind! I think she was a true, sincere servant of God!”
–Jane Trufant Harvey, author of the Ask Him book series
“I want to thank you for sharing and allowing me to see into a very beautiful and intimate part of your family history. I cried on the first page! And by the last page, the faucet was turned on full force.”
–Alison Laguaite
“I truly regret not taking the time to talk to Granny about her faith in Christ, but this collection of her works is a gift, and has allowed me a second chance to explore the depths of Granny’s heart. I am so thankful to be allowed this personal look into her intimate relationship with Christ. I am inspired and uplifted when reading about her struggles and her constant draw back to the Lord.”
–John Pierce
Alissa Fontcuberta Pierce reveals her deep love for her grandmother, Millie Fontcuberta, as Alissa presents Millie’s lifelong collection of poetry and writings. Alissa was surrounded by family businesses all her life. She ultimately partnered with her dad to manage a Christian bookstore, which would later inspire her to help fulfill her grandmother’s dream to publish To Love Him Above All. A faithful Catholic, she resides near her hometown of Covington, LA, with her husband, John, and their daughter, Olivia.
About the cover: The author’s married name is Fontcuberta, which comes from the Spanish “font cubierta,” or covered fountain. The cover image shows a large fountain located at Vintage Court on the former grounds of St. Gertrude’s Convent–representing splendor and beauty–which, when viewed from above, appears covered by the canopy of century old majestic live oak trees–representing the magnificence of nature. The symbolism shown on the cover is thus beauty dressed in nature: Fontcuberta.
