The Green Dress
And Other Parables from My Life
Danijela Schubert
Throughout the 52 short stories she tells from her personal experience, Dr Danijela Schubert is openly vulnerable, inviting us to share her sadness and joy, her stress and laughter, and to learn the lessons she has discover in her life. The Green Dress asks you to question your own choices and challenges you to see value in your own experiences.
From the first story, Dr Schubert is an engaging writer. The tone is friendly and playful, and her stories are relatable—you can easily compare her experiences to your own. She takes stories that we might be tempted to brush off as mundane and insignificant and demonstrates that they are powerful, that there is something to be learnt from them. The questions asked at the end of each chapter allow us to get the most out of the stories told and challenge us to reflect on our own experiences. These questions make the book perfect to inspire journaling or discussions with friends.
The first story told is from before she was born, and it’s immediately clear that she had a difficult childhood. Her family struggled with poverty and substance abuse, but they stayed strong throughout. The Green Dress reflects on the way the author perceived her mother as a child and how she sees her now, looking back as an adult, and it’s inspiring to see the way her views have changed with age.
Throughout The Green Dress, Dr Schubert makes links to her faith and the way it has guided her through difficulties with money, family and personal worldview. She finds God’s presence in every story she tells and sees the ways He quietly helps her to think positively and make the right decisions.
The Green Dress leaves us reflecting on our own difficulties and mistakes, and finding God’s presence in our everyday life. It leaves us asking ourselves what we can learn from the stories we brush off and forget—and helps us see the value in sharing the stories from our own lives.
The Green Dress and Other Parables from My Life is available from Adventist bookshops in Australia and New Zealand, or online.
