In Nurturing the Soul of Your Family: 10 Ways to Reconnect and Find Peace in Everyday Life (New World Library, March 1, 2013), award-winning author Renée Trudeau invites parents to find calm and connection with concrete, practical teachings and exercises that create real and lasting shifts. Based on her popular and sold-out workshops and women’s renewal retreats, the book delivers on the promise of its title by helping parents cultivate harmony and peace within and without as they guide their families toward a more connected and meaningful way of life.
Endorsed by Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods, Dr. Christine Carter, Raising Happiness, Vicki Abeles, creator of Race to Nowhere and others, Trudeau’s newest release helps readers learn to:
**Find their center and move through chaos and uncertainty with renewed strength and ease
**Live in greater alignment with their values and what matters most
**Slow down, live more intentionally and know what’s best for themselves and their family
**Release old fears and learn to live more in the present moment (the best antidote to stress!)
Broken down into 10 chapters, this book starts off by encouraging you to take care of yourself before attempting to take care of others. How many times as mothers do we put the needs of everyone else first? From the book:
As a rule, our society does not honor or promote self-care, particularly for mothers — who are fed such “ideals” as “Good mothers always put their families first,” “Motherhood is pure bliss,” “You just have to let your body go when you become a mom,” and “Good mothers are completely selfless.”
In Chapter 4, my favorite topic was covered, which was the importance of Nature in our lives. From the book:
“What emotions surface when you think about spending time in the great outdoors? What are your favorite nature memories? Perhaps it was running in your backyard at night chasing fireflies, doing a cannonball into a cool, still lake with your dad and siblings, or sitting alone and watching birds build a nest. “
For me personally, some of my best childhood memories revolve around the times I spent camping with my parents and spending time with my grandparents and cousins at our family lake house. I am very fortunate that my family still has that lake house to visit and that I am able to live in an area where there is an abundance of nature around us and that is most definitely one way that I connect with my kids. We love to get outside to run around ride bikes and swim and look forward to the coming warm days here in NEPA.
I enjoyed reading this book and it gives you a lot to think about as you work your way through it. Interested in checking it out for yourself? It is currently available on Amazon for around $11(remember prices on Amazon tend to change quickly) so grab it now and start Nurturing the Soul of your Family today.
Disclosure: I was given a copy of this book for review purposes only. All opinions are always my own.
Thanks Megan for sharing this wisdom. Families are really seeking fresh perspectives and right now; it feels like we’re all ready to drop our old habits and explore new ways of being. Look forward to reading Nurturing the Soul of Your Family and checking out Renee’s offerings!