As soon as I received the book for review, I went to my nook on the front porch by the fountain and wind chimes where I have created a reading haven. I didn't leave that spot until I had read every page of Ann's book, twice. At one point, I even asked my 15 year old son if I could read a few pages to him. I wanted to tuck some of Ann's golden nuggets into his heart where he might keep them to pull out later for inspiration.
The first wonderful thing I noticed was that Ann included her own exquisite photography in the book. If you've ever gone to her website, A Holy Experience, you've not only been blessed by her writing but by her amazing photos, as well. She has captured glimpses of life that are bulging with the joy she is seeking from every moment.
Ann has a way of penning words that read like a song from her heart. She is raw and honest and her writing reflects a heart for God that is both tender and lioness strong. Her new book could change your life, if you'd let it. She opens on the very first page with these words, "You've got to figure out a way to stay awake to your own wild and beautiful life." From these first words, through the rest of the book, the reader becomes captivated and hungry for how to be able to do just that. You find yourself wondering if you are experiencing joy in your every day life; the mundane days, the hard days, the glorious days. Ann draws you in, to contemplate the gifts in your own life that you may have dismissed or overlooked.
Then, as you read on, you realize that it is possible...possible to live a life of finding joy around every corner, in every circumstance. Ann encourages you to look life square in the face, seeing each moment as a gift to be grateful for and experience the joy that comes with being thankful for it!
I hope that you include "Selections From One Thousand Gifts: Finding Joy in What Really Matters" in your summer reading. I know you will be truly blessed and be challenged to look for the gifts of grace and joy that God has placed in your life!
From His Lap,
