One of the blessings of our vacation last weekend was the opportunity to catch up on reading. The gift of quiet time and a good book is precious. One in particular I was excited to crack open was ” A Little Way of Homeschooling: Thirteen Families Discover Catholic Unschooling” by Suzie Andres.
I heard about it on my friend Jennifer Willit’s show and couldn’t wait to check it out. The concept is finding peace and confidence in homeschooling (or unschooling) through Jesus and the insights of St. Therese. It’s exceptional. I think I would find this book helpful no matter what form of education we chose for our children. The overall wisdom and experience the moms share could apply to our daily interactions as a family. It helped me feel motivated to tap into (and keep), the wonder my kids have for life and learning. I haven’t finished it yet but so far I love it.
The other wonderful read I’ve been working on is the classic “A Shepard Looks at Psalm 23” by Phillip Keller. Wow! What a great book to remind us of the love Jesus has for us, and tenderness the Good Shepard takes in caring for each of us.
Lastly, the book up on deck next is “Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back,” by Todd Burpo.
My mom zipped through this book in 48 hours and has been telling anyone who will listen, “READ THIS.” Lol. I love it when a book ignites that much zeal! Every day my mom has asked if I started it yet. Sometimes if I read too many books at once I end up not finishing any of them, so I’m hoping to complete the others so I can start this one. Thanks for the tip mom!:)
oh that book is realllly good! I got it to put in my 8yr old son's Easter basket and since we went on vacation for spring break before Easter, I took it with us and we read it in the car. SOoOoo GOOD!!! I agree with your mom 🙂
I recently read Suzie Andres book and consequently, have had the loveliest end of school year…evah! Her words (and St. Therese's) really spoke to my anxiety and allowed me to open up my heart (once again) to what God asks of my homeschool.
I also recently read Heaven is for Real since it was recommended by a friend. I was honestly a bit disappointed. The boy is darling but the book did not ignite anything within me. I guess any human description of heaven is going to fall short. I also noticed some details that contradict aspects of Catholic tradition. And where is our beautiful Blessed Mother? Not that everything will be as I imagine it… just that some depth of beauty is missing. A depth of joy. I do not disbelieve that this child could have had a very real encounter with our Lord. But this account is not half as beautiful as my imagination… and I know that my imagination falls quite short of glorious reality. I know I sound like a meanie… I didn't hate the book. I just didn't "love" it.