What Is Your Life Saying?

As I search for 'what I want to be when I grow up,' I've spent time discussing my life options with a variety of people...friends, family, my clergy. My rector gave me this little book, and I think it's changed my life! Parker J. Palmer is a Quaker, an educator and writer who wrote this 109-page helper for those of us who are 'listening for the voice of vocation' in our lives. I've read it three times already, but when Mary told me it was mine to keep, I started it a fourth...this time highlighting and underlining those words I want to remember. Palmer's premise is that we are all born with a nature, God-given gifts, talents, and ways to be in the world. When we ignore that nature (and most of us do!) and do what others, the world, our society tells us we should do, our lives become at least incongruent, at most desperately unhappy. Our jobs should ideally reflect our innate nature and not all the false skills and tricks we learn to get by and get along. Palmer begins his book with a poem by William Stafford where the poet  says: "Ask me whether what I have done is my life." A profound question...is your life your job, your occupation? Is what you do for a living right now how you want your life to be remembered? Put another way, Palmer instructs us: "Before you tell your life what you intend to do with it, listen for what it intends to do with you." He goes on to describe what vocation/life calling looks like, what it is and what it isn't. He also tells the reader about his own struggle with vocation that led to two bouts of severe depression. Even if depression isn't an issue for you, Palmer's depression holds lessons to be learned by anyone. This book could be the perfect gift for a high school or college graduate, someone who is launched in a career, but is unhappy with it, someone who has lost a job and is looking for a way, or someone who is retiring and looking for a fulfilling way to spend the second half of their life.

Trail of Crumbs

I became an avid reader before I could even read! My mom wrote in my baby book that as soon as I could sit up, I'd entertain myself for hours 'reading' magazines and comic books. The summer between 6th and 7th grade I remember feeling so proud that  I had read every biography and autobiography in the entire Bookmobile! (did they have Bookmobiles where you lived?) It seems only natural, then, that the memoir has become one of my favorite literary genres. This memoir, "Trail of Crumbs" by Kim Sunee came recommended by a friend who knew a memoir sprinkled with New Orleans, Paris, Provence and food would be right up my alley..and she was right! I caution you, however, that if you're looking for a 'happily ever after' story or one full of sunshine and light, this memoir is not for you. Kim Sunee explores her life as 'other' looking for a place to call home, a place where she fits in. What she has in reality is a life most of us would consider a wonderful, a fairy tale life. In her early twenties, she meets and becomes the companion of Olivier Baussan, founder of the French company, L'Occitane. Desperately in love, they live in a villa in Provence and an apartment in Paris, and travel all over the world to its most gorgeous and exotic places. Kim is beautiful, talented, smart and living a lifestyle that most people would envy, yet she is desperately unhappy and unsure of herself. Her struggle to find identity is compelling; her writing is evocative and luscious especially when she shares the one thing that does make her happy...food and cooking. The recipes she includes for her favorite comfort foods are reason alone to read this books. They may surprise you! So will Kim Sunee.

Contemplative Artists

As I explore pilgrimage and contemplative photography over at "Musings from Red Bell Farm" and "Dona Nobis Pacem," I'm drawn to a book that my brother gave me for Christmas in 2008. It's a compare/contrast book about two of my favorite artists, Georgia O'Keeffe and Ansel Adams. Lavishly illustrated with both familiar and not-so-well-known works by both, this book is a feast for the eyes and for the soul. I can't help but label both O'Keeffe and Adams 'contemplative' artists. Even though Adams produced photographs for commercial reasons, his black and white images pierce my heart with their clear vision of the soul of the places that called Adams to capture them on film. O'Keeffe's luscious landscapes and flowers delve into that soulful place as well. If art as a contemplative practice appeals to you, this book is one you must read.

More Haiti

I've shared in a previous book review that I like to have a mystery tucked away in a bottom drawer for those days when both the weather and my mental outlook are a bit dreary. Last week right after I finished "Mountains Beyond Mountains" I had one of those days, so I pulled out this Cara Black mystery, "Murder in the Latin Quarter." Right on the heels of Tracy Kidder's story about Dr. Paul Farmer's work in Haiti, I found myself deep into a murder mystery centered around Haiti, Haitian illegals in Paris, and clean water for Haiti research. Seems as if I can't get enough Haiti in my life lately! While I wouldn't recommend a fictional story for factual information about Haiti, I would say that good mystery writers research the details for their mysteries and those details can pique your interest to learn more. Yes, this mystery is a good, fast-paced story. It's also enriched with wonderful details about the Latin Quarter of Paris. And Cara Black's references to tonton macoutes, Baby Doc Devalier, voudou, and the Haitian pig scandal may just lead you to Mr. Google and a better understanding of Haiti today.

Haiti

Even before the devastating earthquake in Haiti last month, my friend, Edith recommended that I read this book, "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder. I often act on her recommendations since we share a lot of common interests. I didn't get around to actually purchasing my copy, though, until after the earthquake when I felt compelled to learn more about this complex, poverty-ridden neighbor. The book is centered around Dr. Paul Farmer who is a medical doctor and anthropologist and who has made healthcare in Haiti his life's focus. He is an amazing man and Kidder does a very good job presenting him objective candor. In telling Dr. Farmer's story, Kidder also tells the story of Haiti...its corrupt governments, its culture, its irrepressible people, and its poverty. As a nurse, I found Dr. Farmer's theory that healthcare can only be improved when poverty is alleviated most compelling. I think the author lays out Dr. Farmer's arguments in support of this theory completely and objectively. Something that's hard to do when so many people consider Dr. Farmer a genuine hero for his unflagging work for improved healthcare not only for Haiti, but also for the rest of the world. If you have an interest in digging deeper into Haitian culture or a desire to learn more about Dr. Farmer's work to improve healthcare by setting up systems of public health that incorporate ways to raise people up out of poverty, "Mountains Beyond Mountains" is a must-read for you.

Journey to the Heart

I am in the habit of reading a daily meditation in the morning after I journal. Each year I search for just the right book companion for the next 365 days. While I've tried several other meditation books, the one I keep coming back to and using over and over is this one by Melody Beattie that I purchased in 1996. The poor book is tattered with many turned down corners to mark especially pertinent days. Many of the essays throughout it are marked up with highlighting, underlined words and comments in the margins. I'm always amazed that the day's essay often speaks directly to issues, worries, fears that I'm currently facing. While Beattie is best known for her self-help books on co-dependency, this book that claims itself as 'daily meditations on the path to freeing your soul' is the one that most speaks to my heart. The author is open and honest about her personal struggles with drugs, alcohol, and the overwhelming grief she felt after losing her son. Hers is not a sugar-coated, fairy tale life; that's what makes her essays so down-to-earth and real. They speak joyfully to ways to connect with our own selves, our own creative processes, and our own fears. This year "Journey" is resting in my bookcase, but I'm sure 2011 will find it in use once again.

Today's words for the Journey: "Be happy now. Enjoy the creative process--the process of creating your life, yourself, and the project you're working on--today. Don't wait for those finishing moments to take pleasure in your work and your life. Find joy all along the way."

More Cara Black

I've already shared Cara Black's "Murder on the Ile St. Louis" with you. I've read this one set in the Marais as well. It was Black's first mystery and introduces Amy Leduc, her strong woman character who gets involved in more murders than cats have lives! You can purchase your own copy of this fun mystery here, but you can also win one if you're lucky and a talented photographer. Click over to EyePreferParis; Richard's offering a free copy of Black's book to the winner of his 'photographs of the Marais' contest. While you're there, be sure to check out Richard's blog...he has some gorgeous photos of hidden Paris courtyards, some great interviews with interesting Parisians, and recommendations for yummy places to eat.