Seeking Peace in the Shifting Season

 I don’t know about you, but when the air gets crisp and the trees turn pretty colors, I want to slow down, snuggle up in a soft sweater, and drink something hot from a big mug.  Fall’s beginning is sort of the calm before the storm of the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons.  Does thinking about all the activities soon to come and what they will require in time and effort have you feeling anxious and unable to enjoy this beautiful time of year?     

     A library is sort of a calming place in itself, but reading a book can aid you in slowing down and shifting gears.  Get an extra boost by choosing a book that guides you toward peace.  Lacking peace often comes from problems in our relationship with God, start by refocusing on God.  Elisabeth Elliot wrote Be Still My Soul.  Perhaps the rush of the summer has left you feeling tired and needing refreshment.  Elliot says, “We are like chalices, empty vessels willing and ready to be filled with the life of God.”  Allow this collection of reflections on living the Christian life to refill and refresh you so you are ready to move on to your next “season”. 

Calm My Anxious Heart will help you find contentment in your life and circumstances, no matter what they are.  Contentment allows you to enjoy calm in your life.  Find out how to have an “eternal perspective” on life, which is the key to contentment.  Linda Dillow will challenge you to see as God sees, for “When we have God’s perspective, we view our lives and evaluate what is important from His viewpoint”.  A quick scan of just the introduction interested and convicted me!   

     Ladies, we often tend to stress out more than men.  Women and Stress:   A Practical Approach to Managing Tension was written to help us manage “tension with God’s strength and direction”.  The authors say the practical ideas in the book, from real people with real struggles, will show us that we, too, can tame tension and find more calm in life.  

      Homeschool moms are planners.  A Positive Plan for Creating More Calm, Less Stress will give you ladies a plan, as keepers of the home, “to bask in the God-given privilege of setting the tone for your family”.  The author wants to help you create a calm place, refresh your soul, renew your body, be more flexible in life situations, and improve your family relationships.  That sounds like an awesome plan to have in place just in time for the holidays!

     On a very practical level, just like mental clutter clouds our judgment and kills our calm, physical clutter can also cause anxiety.  Clutter’s Last Stand is both practical and humorous.  The author promises “You’ll immediately lose 100 pounds without dieting”.  Learn how to get rid of the junk in your house and office that just makes your life more difficult.  “Things” clutter your mind, whether you know it or not.  An easy way to lessen stress and find calm is to just get rid of all the unnecessary things that take up space and cost you time and effort caring for them.  

      Visiting a library and reading can be calming activities in themselves, so I would encourage you to visit our lending library and consignment shop.  Grab a good novel to read on a chilly evening.  Pick up a cookbook and try baking bread to go with stew or chili.  Read about an interesting historical event or person.  Grab a book on homeschooling to recharge your enthusiasm.  We have lots of crossword and puzzle books, coloring books (highly recommended for calming), classical music CDs, puzzles and games.  

     I hope you and your families find the time to wind down and snuggle up this autumn.  This glorious season passes so fast, so don’t delay.  And just like fall leaves, our books are sometimes here today and gone tomorrow.  Come and grab one while you may!

Reading is Rewarding!

Katie

Request the following titles from the Family Vision Library here:

Be Still My Soul, by Elisabeth Elliot

Calm My Anxious Heart , by Linda Dillow

Women and Stress:   A Practical Approach to Managing Tension, by Jean Lush

A Positive Plan for Creating More Calm, Less Stress, by Karol Ladd

Clutter’s Last Stand, by Don Aslett

Not a member of the library? Subscribe online to have books shipped directly to you!

Want to become a local patron? Visit the library to sign-up for free!