Actress, producer, and writer Roma Downey wrote a children's book entitled, "A Message in the Moon" to honor her late parents and spread God's love to children.
Downey sat down with ChurchPOP editor Jacqueline Burkepile for an exclusive interview. They discussed her book, its meaning, and her role in the classic television show, "Touched by an Angel."
She explains how the book honors both of her late parents. Downey lost her mother as a young girl, and her father, who raised her Catholic, told her to look at the moon when they were separated as a symbolic way to communicate.
"The inspiration for the story really happened when I was getting ready to leave Ireland for college in England, and I had a lot of anxiety about leaving my dad," Downey says.
"Dad took me out into the garden and he pointed to the moon in the sky and he said two things.
"He said, 'Wherever you go in the world. It's the same Moon. We'll be shining down on you. If you're ever feeling lonely or homesick or missing me, you just have to look at the Moon, because I'm gonna leave a message in the Moon.'"
Downey says she hopes sharing this message will give children separated from their parents peace and consolation.
She wanted to remind children that "they're not alone anytime," especially when "there's anxiety of separation from Mom and Dad."
"It is a great reminder of God's love for us because if you consider that even when we can't see the moon, it's still there," Downey continues. "It's still there shining whether we can see it or not.
"The love of God and the Lord is always there whether we are tuned into it, and whether we can feel it or not. His love is always there."
Downey also shares how her faith impacted her writing, particularly since the book honors her late parents, who raised her Catholic.
"I grew up in a Catholic household and my father --my single father–prayed with me every night by my bedside. We got on our knees and we said our nighttime prayers. I think that's a nice tradition to enter into with your child," Downey explains. "It also reminds them that they're wrapped safely in the wings of angels as they go to sleep."
Downey adds that she "prayed into the book" and hopes it is a "blessing to families, and reaches the hearts of the little ones." She hopes they never "feel alone" and that they know their family and "the Father in Heaven loves them, too."
View the article by Jacqueline Burkepile on churchpop.com.
Roma Downey's children's book, "A Message in the Moon" is now available: [ Ссылка ]
