the creative family by Amanda Blake Soule (slightly chaotic week!) has been checked out of the library several times by yours truly. I've drooled over the photos and projects, doing some of the projects and stashing away others for a rainy day. This time, I finally got around to reading the text. Hey, what can I say? When great photos like that are in a book, words are optional as far as I'm concerned!
Amanda offers encouragement for noticing the fabric of our lives as a family - really noticing and being aware of what is good. For slowing down and living in the moment as opposed to flying through life at mach speed and collapsing into bed at night - mostly unaware of how we spent the day. That's an exhausting way to live! I'm trying to be completely over it...
What I took away from this book more than anything was a renewed desire to focus on the Creator of all that is good (pure, lovely, noble) in the world around me and let him weave those things into our lives, rather than to rearrange how we live in an attempt to chase after them. I can't "encourage imagination" if I'm too busy planning the next project to take the time to see what the girls are creating. I can't "nurture family connections" if I'm too busy planning activities for the next week to listen to what they are saying. Encouraging and nurturing grow from shared moments.
When I take the time to collect moments, rather than days, I begin to see that less (busy-ness) can be more (time spent getting to know each other). Slow is good.
And that's my third week's reading for 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
I enjoyed this book as well and the many ideas presented in it. What you gleaned from the book and the way you want to live your life is inspiring!
ReplyDeleteThanks! It's a journey worth traveling, that's for sure.
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