Giveaway: “Nurturing the Soul of Your Family” by Renee Peterson Trudeau (Ends 3/30, US)

About the Book

“What would it feel like to experience more ease, harmony, and flow in the midst of navigating homework squabbles, mealtimes, commutes, and the other challenges of everyday life?  Nurturing the Soul of Your Family is a guidebook for personal and spiritual renewal from the award-winning author of The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal.  It offers nurturing support and practical ideas to guide you toward a new way of being.”

About the Author

Renee Peterson Trudeau is an internationally recognized life balance coach, speaker , and author.  Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Good Housekeeping, and numerous other media outlets.  On the faculty of Kripalu Center for Yoga & Wellness, she leads life balance workshops and retreats for Fortune 500 companies, conferences, and organizations worldwide.  She lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and son.

My Take

Author Renee Peterson Trudeau got my attention from the very start of this book when she said, “You feel exhausted and overwhelmed; things are moving too fast.  Your weekend was a blur of activity…”  I’ve been going through old pictures for a project, and sometimes it’s hard to even remember when my daughter was so tiny!  Everyone told me it would go by quickly, and wow, it sure did.  At the Disney conference last year, one of the speakers said “You only get 18 summers.  Only 18.  And the first few don’t count because your kids can’t even talk, the last few don’t count because they won’t talk (to you, anyway).”

“Nurturing the Soul of Your Family is a call to explore a new way of being.  It’s an invitation to live an awakened life in the midst of the ordinary tasks of everyday living.”  With Valerie Harper’s announcement of potentially only months to live, someone I saw on the Today show who chronicled the last months of their lives and left writings for their children, it seems like there are so many reminders around that life is short and can end unexpectedly.  But this shouldn’t make us morbid, on the contrary, it should make us treasure every day.

I was holding my daughter in my lap and we were reading a book.  She had her soft cheek on mine and was giggling at something she read.  I could smell the fresh scent of her hair and I thought, “This is a perfect moment.  This is a moment to remember.  To put in my spiritual pocket and hang on to.”  Those are the moments we need to notice, appreciate, and nurture.  In the book “Nurturing the Soul of Your Family”, there are tips on how to do just that.

A good portion of the beginning of the book is focused on caring for yourself.  The “oxygen mask” theory – you have to help yourself before you can help someone else.  I especially like the section on experiencing nature – find your own strength, to find God, to find peace.  My husband and I are both camping advocates and I always loved how experiencing the outdoors would put things in perspective for me.  The world continues, thrives, without all the mechanical gadgets, supposedly brilliant people, and without all our worries.

The author uses words like “awakened” “aware” and “intention”.  I took away the message that we can’t just let life flow along if we want to truly live a fulfilled life.  We need to chose to live our best lives.  We need to really see, listen, and be with our families.  100% present.  Not distracted.  I can tend to focus on productivity, be goal-oriented, trying to check off items on my to-do list.  “Nurturing the Soul of Your Family” reminds me to slow down and look at the journey.

Giveaway

Enter to win my very gently read copy of “Nurturing the Soul of Your Family” by Renee Peterson Trudeau in the Rafflecopter form below.

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Disclosure of Material Connection:  I was sent the book for review.