Our Sweet Maria -- Her First 30 Years and Her Final 30 Days by Jim LaBate, Available in paperback or Kindle format (Amazon) and paperback (IngramSpark). ISBN: 9780966210057; 236 pages, $19.95. Contact: Mohawk River Press (518) 383-2254 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Myriad thoughts and emotions swirled as I read Our Sweet Maria, Clifton Park author Jim LaBate’s stirring account of the all-too-short life of his first-born daughter. The fact that Maria lived just 30 years is tragic and grossly unfair. Yet LaBate’s faith-filled portrayal of Maria’s life—and her family’s love and gratitude for the blessings of those 30 years—is so heartfelt that joy infuses every page. This moving tribute inspires readers to appreciate every moment of a child’s life and to face the inconceivable, should it occur, with courage, faith, and unbridled love.
“As Maria’s dad and as a retired writing instructor, I dealt with Maria’s sudden passing by writing about her life and her final month under medical care,” the author explains. “This book is both a biography of Maria’s life and a memoir of how her family dealt with her hospitalization and eventual death. Maria was working full-time at a hospital and was studying part-time to earn her master’s degree in teaching when she became afflicted with what she thought was a migraine headache. By the time they figured out the problem—a recently diagnosed breast cancer that had spread to her brain—Maria had only a short time to live.”
From an early age, Maria LaBate aspired to be an elementary teacher. Gifted with compassion, commitment, patience, and resilience, she was destined to be one of those enthusiastic, life-altering mentors that students long remember with gratitude and affection. Following college, as a classroom position of her own failed to materialize, Maria pursued numerous endeavors that enhanced her teaching experience. She became a substitute teacher, a preschool teacher, and a Sunday school teacher; additionally, she began working toward a master’s degree in her chosen field. Confident that teaching was her God-given purpose in life, Maria’s dream never wavered.
Always known for putting others first, Maria LaBate’s concern for family, friends, and her medical team was evident even in her darkest hours. The following poem, written by Maria in high school, resonates more deeply today as it captures the vibrant beauty of this remarkable young woman whose time on earth was far too fleeting. After reading her father’s poignant book, I only wish I could have met Our Sweet Maria in person.
