Recently, I've read three amazing books. They are all very different but, they have all touched me in ways I never knew they would. I am not the same person I was before I read them. And I wanted to share them with you.
The first one is Two Kisses for Maddy by Matthew Logelin. I had read about it in a magazine review and it immediately piqued my interest...although, I knew it would be a tear-jerker. It is a true story based on the love affair of the author and his wife, Liz. They are high school sweethearts, they get married, get pregnant and are just about to live happily ever after, when the unthinkable happens. Liz delivers a baby girl and 27 hours later, dies instantly from a pulmonary embolism, just as she is getting ready to go meet her new baby in ICU. It is so sad...the kind of "cry out loud sobbing" kind of book. But, yet so beautifully written and the story so poignantly told that you can't help but continue on. Sometimes, it is good to read something like this...it helps put your own life in perspective. It makes you see beyond your own problems and worries and focus on what's really important. I lent the book to my dear friend and she texted me later saying "this is not a good book to read on an airplane, I am sobbing uncontrollably, and people are staring at me!" It really is worth every single tear you will cry. Go out and get it.
The second one is The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. One afternoon, when I had an hour to kill at Barnes and Noble, I came across this book. I read the back cover and knew it was a book I wanted to own (not just check out at the library). I sat at Barnes and Noble and read it, bought the book, and came home and read it some more. The whole idea behind the book is that people really do not appreciate what they have, usually until it is gone. The author has dedicated an entire year of her life trying to find the secrets to happiness. She says "The days are long, but the years are short"...which is so true, especially when you are in the throes of motherhood. It made me stop and think, "I really need to learn how to live in the moment and get more out of life and enjoy my children more." Her chapters cover everything from "keeping a contented heart" to "lightening up". So much of what she says resonated with me that I knew I had to keep this book nearby and refer to it often. I also signed up for her newsletter and daily "Happiness" quote. I love opening my email everyday and seeing these little gems!! Sometimes I re-post them on facebook to share with friends - other times, I write them down for later. One of my favorites is: "I begin to suspect that the world is divided not only into the happy and unhappy, but into those who like happiness and those who, as odd as it seems, really don't". - C.S. Lewis. She also offers this little nugget of wisdom: "Feeling right is about living the life that's right for you - in occupation, location, marital status, and so on. It's also about virtue, doing your duty, living up to the expectations you set for yourself." Love that!
The last book, is called Mile Markers by Krtistin Armstrong. This book outlines the 26.2 most important reasons that women run. I had seen a review in Runner's World magazine and was immediately intrigued. The author, Lance Armstrong's ex-wife, is also a contributor to the magazine and she posts a weekly blog, by the same name. I got this book from the library and could not put it down. She was so "spot on" with all of her observations. There was one particular section I loved and have since quoted many, many times! She talks about how her running pals were discussing the benefits of turning 40 (the author at the time was 38) and how excited she was to get to that milestone. Here are some of the things they said....
"You do the things you used to talk about but never did. You quit playing small. You spend time with the friends who lift you up and cut loose the ones who bring you down. You finally wake up and realize that you are as hot as you are going to get in this lifetime, so you might as well enjoy it."
I don't know what it is about that last statement that makes me so happy, but ever since I read that, I feel lighter and more carefree than ever. At 46, I feel like I am finally starting to understand that saying about "feeling comfortable in your own skin"....and I don't want to look back in 10 years and say "Wow, I really had it going on ... wish I had known it/appreciated it at the time!" Now is the time to OWN all of it, to look in the mirror and say "I like what I see." It's time to take back our confidence as women and be proud of our bodies and all the amazing things they can do, from running marathons to pushing out babies. It's time to look past the superficial wrinkle lines, acne scars, cellulite, whatever it is that causes us grief ...and say "I am ALL that and I am enough just the way I am!" Amen.
All 3 of these books have the same central theme of living in the moment, appreciating what is right in front of us, because at any moment, it can all be gone. They teach us that life is precious and that none of us has the right to take a single breath for granted. God did not promise us that life would be easy...but, He did promise that it would be worth it.
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