reading about parenting spiritually and loving my friend’s new book
I’m wracking up the holiday gift giveaways for you!! And this one, well it’s one of my favs. My girlfriend Laura is remarkable.
We met through a girlfriend Lydia’s blog and realized we lived not an hour from each other. And that our children were similarly aged. This is before we each had our third, born one day apart!
She sweetly came over to our house and as the kids played in the inflated–slightly deflating–pool in back we talked and talked and talked. And marveled on how we could have kept going but for the pottied-in swim diapers and gaspingly wet children.
Beyond our similarities, I quickly came to admire a difference between us. Her writing abilities and style are well beyond the realm of this humble blogger. She is gifted. She is a real writer who has honed her craft beautifully. And this book//oh I needed to have these words in my life right now with three kids under five!!//it’s well written.
Her writing reminds me of my creative writing undergrad companions. When the lens through which they viewed the world was truly and thoroughly as a seeker of ideas, a translator of visions, a go-between from our experiences to our conversation.
Laura’s book, Everyday Sacrament, does this. She goes between parenting in all its unholy glory and pairs it with our religious experiences to put into words how they relate. She interlaces the spiritual and the poop.
The layout of the chapters means I can float with her from a vexing parenting airline trip to how it relates to one of the seven sacraments: acts instituted by God to give grace, His love, to us. I really needed to hear this. We aren’t great about going to mass during the week, and beyond basic prayers with the kids I often feel like my spiritual well would only be replenished if I were a contemplative nun. Or if I could just GET AWAY from them. Instead of realizing the grace is there. It’s inside them, waiting for me to be open to feeling it.
I will never look at my infrequent showers the same//paired with baptism//I’m missing out on a chance for daily newness!
Not will I take my fertility for granted. Her poignant waiting to conceive and loss of one baby hits hard. She makes me feel like I’m right there with her in that dark wanting and shaking. I cried off and on during those moments!
The read is quick, the stories unforgettable, and the humor will have you chuckling and then outright HaHAHAHa’ing to yourself and those around you.
Gift it to yourself or your dear friends this Christmas. Every mom needs to read it, and every dad needs to have heard her tell him about it.
Link here to buy it. Right now Liturgical Press is running a brief sale of 30% off!! Grab while the grabbing is hot.
Or be my lucky winner. Raffling a copy your way. Goooooood luck!!
