Book Review

I LOVE to read! I have so many books, my shelves are overflowing. I have several on my nightstand at any given moment and I always have at least two with me at all times. I don't read more than one at a time of course, but you never know when I might finish one and can immediately start on the next one.

I have just finished a book that was amazing! Actually the last two books I have read have been great so I wanted to give you a little review in case you are looking for something new to read. I have already recommended the first one to a friend that is expecting her first child, but of course I told her to wait a few months before she starts this one.

The first is Real Moms...Real Jesus - By Jill Savage, she is a great writer and definately helps to relate things on everyone's level. You can find a link to her blog somewhere to the left, she updates it several times each week with little stories, quotes, etc.

Let me just say that this book completely changed my life! I view parenting and everything that goes along with it totally different now and I hope I never take a day or any of the interruptions for granted.

Here are a few things (of many) that I highlighted or underlined while reading and I really wanted to share them with you.

"The profession of motherhood is about meeting the needs of others, caring for them physically, emotionally, and relationally. It requires a giving heart, a selfless spirit, and a strong sense of identity to serve generously" (that sounds tough doesn't it?)

"They say with kids more is caught than taught. What they see us do is far more important than what we tell them to do. They follow our example and grow up to be more like us than we'd sometimes like them to be. They "catch" our good and bad. Many of the things I do as a mother I do because I'm following the example of my mother. But she's not the only example I have to follow...

Personally I'm thankful to have a God who not only says "Do as I say," but also, "Do as I do." He led by example and showed us it is doable."

"Jesus modeled for us to how to handle the demands that are placed upon us. His strategies included prayer and knowing how to find quiet moments in the midst of chaos. He understands. He gets it. He knows what it feels like for everyone to want a piece of you."

If you are a mom, you know what it is like to finally have a moment to yourself early in the morning, late in the evening, just after dinner, in the bathroom, in the shower, etc. only to be interuppted suddenly by a crying child, a toddler that just can't wait to show you something or a husband who just doesn't "get it" right? Well here is what Jill says about those moments and this is one of the main things I took away from this reading, this is what has changed me the most! "What I've had to do is learn to see those moments not as interruptions, but rather God appoitments. Those are moments that I didn't plan for, but God did." Isn't that just amazing, I had never taken a moment realize that???

There are so many other things that I took away from this book that I can't possibly type them all here but I will leave you with one last truth that hit home with me. I am busy, my calendar fills up every single month. I have doctor visits, meetings for work, cook-outs with family and friends, trips to the zoo, date nights with brian, shopping trips, work conferences, and so many other things. The life of a working mother I suppose. But the book makes this statement that I highlighted for a reason. "I fill my hours with dentist, orthodontist, and doctor appoitments and don't even pencil in an appoitment with God. Yet God waits..." Can you imagine that God waits? I don't want God to wait on me, I would rather my Doctor wait on me, but not God. I had never thought about him waiting on me, that is heartbreaking to me that I have caused him to wait on me!