This summer, I had the chance to finish reading three beautifully soul-lifting books:
One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are
Beautiful, breath-filling, soul-lifting.
I felt like I was soaring through the clouds over oceans of farmland, ripe and bursting with joyful fruit.
I had heard of this book a while ago and through the years since it’s release. I tried reading it a while back but it just wasn’t my time yet. And honestly, I struggled with knowing how to read her writing style.
Lately, I’ve been yearning to find peace in the now. So the subtitle, A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are caught my attention and I decided to delve into it more. Also, I had a free credit on Audible and some extra time on a long car ride so it was really the “perfect” time to hear Ann’s words of gratitude and joy. Her words sang into my ears and danced through my soul, twirling me around and lifting me up in gratitude and thanksgiving for all the Good Good gives me. Her discovery and passionate and intense focus on the word “eucharisteo” inflamed my Catholic Eucharist-loving soul and has planted many thoughts of seed and contemplation on how Christ in the Eucharist and gratitude really are the answer. To everything. One Thousand Gifts is a love song about a wounded bird calling out to her creator and asking to heal her and help her fly again. If you’ve been limping around life feeling wounded and without joy, try this. It might be just what you need.
At CatholicMom.com, I wrote about a pair of lovely books that will surely encourage you and lift your mothering soul. Check out my article there for the expanded reviews, here are the summaries to give you an idea of why you’d probably love to read these!
Good Enough Is Good Enough: Confessions of an Imperfect Catholic Mom (A CatholicMom.com Book)
If you feel like you are failing as a mom and or have ever felt like you are “not good enough,” gift yourself with Colleen’s book and listen to her encouraging words: You are good enough. The best part about Colleen’s book is you can read it on your own or invite your friends to read it together and use the discussion questions after each chapter for conversation starters.
Getting Past Perfect: How to Find Joy and Grace in the Messiness of Motherhood (A CatholicMom.com Book
If you’ve been struggling to measure up to the “perfect mother,” open up Kate’s book and let her words peel you open, squeeze the drive for perfection out of you, and show you the path to a more joy, more grace-filled way to live.
One Beautiful Dream: The Rollicking Tale of Family Chaos, Personal Passions, and Saying Yes to Them Both
If you’ve read any books, blog posts, or listened to Jennifer Fulwiler’s radio show or podcast, you know this book is gonna be good.
As a writer and aspiring author, a wife, and mother of four, and now with a part-time job also, I really relate to and appreciate her words and experiences that she shared. Reading about her “behind-the-scenes” experience in her writing aspirations humbled me and reminded me that on the front of every book, is the author’s name. And that name belongs to a real person, with a real face, a real family, and a real and ordinary life like the rest of us. And we, the readers, really only see the “cover” but not all the time, stress, tears, and sleep deprivation that went into getting that book on the shelves.
Jennifer’s experiences she shared and her retrospective reflections helped me remember that we can only succeed in attaining our goals if we pursue them with JOY, with our family, and in humble service with God who gives us our talents.
Even if you’re not a writer or have dreams to write a book or host your own radio show one day, you’d probably still enjoy this book because you do have your own “beautiful dreams”. This isn’t a book that will tell you how to succeed and attain your career goals and raise your family at the same time. It’s more about learning how to see the talents God has given us and then listen to how He calls us to serve Him in this world with those talents. It’s about finding peace with where we are, what we are doing, where we live, and trusting that God does have a plan for us – a dream even – and together it can be “One Beautiful Dream”. (too corny?) And, she’s hilarious. You’ll laugh…out loud. I promise.
I’m excited to delve into a new book – Julia Hogan’s It’s OK to Start with You.
Stay tuned, I’m jumping on her blog tour the week of September 10 – 14th to share some Emotional Self-Care tips.
