More on Amish Values…

4. Letting Go

The section that probably meant the most to me was the first. I found several nuggets I could apply to my daily life, that I should apply to my life. These Amish women and men put me to shame in their application of God’s word to their lives. The chapter aptly named “The Mud Hole” was startling in the reaction of the mom when her covered-with-mud boys interrupted her baby’s nap (again).

One of my goals in life is to be able to react “wordlessly” when my day doesn’t go as planned because of the precious little blessings I ought to be putting first in my day. A quote from the “Road Map” is “it’s quite possible that you are trying too hard to accomplish one thing and altogether missing the more important thing. The good is often the enemy of the best.” The author suggests to dig for the humorous part of the situation.

In another chapter, she suggests having a “to-be” list instead of a to-do list. I plan to implement this as well. Write down the big overarching goals in your family. For example one of mine is “To live close to God, my family and the earth.” Keep this in mind as you approach the minutia that invariably comes up in your day.

There are so many tidbits one could apply to one’s life. I would recommend reading this book bit by bit and let the ideas swim around for a while. If you try to read it all at once, you could end up with an inferiority complex (ahem, like I did). I don’t purchase books very often, but I would buy this one.

If you’d like to see how to apply Amish values to your family, and own a copy of this book too, you can enter my giveaway by leaving a comment. Tell me what you want your family legacy to look like, what you see as truly important, your overarching goals in family raising.

Press release as follows:

Suzanne Woods Fisher is thrilled to announce the release of Amish Values for Your Family, her latest non-fiction release. “It offers loving ways to bring your fractured home back to life-Amish style. Read it and apply generously! It’s a beautiful book-funny, charming, soulful, and beautiful.” -Mary Ann Kirkby Read the reviews here. To celebrate the release of Amish Values for Your Family, Suzanne has teamed up her publisher Revell Books to giveaway a Kindle, and with Bill Coleman (the amazing photographer used on Suzanne’s book covers) to give away a signed Bill Coleman original.

One Grand Prize winner will receive an Amish Values Prize Package (valued at over $200) and includes: * A brand new KINDLE * A Signed Bill Coleman original * Amish Values for Your Family (for KINDLE)

Click on one of the icons to enter. Winner will be announced on 9/2 at Suzanne’s blog. Be sure to stop by the blogs on Suzanne’s blog tour – many have copies of Amish Values for Your Family to give away. But, wait there’s more! Suzanne is running a Bill Coleman caption contest during the month of August on her blog. Title one of Bill’s gorgeous photos for a chance to win a print from Bill’s Amish Photo site and/or a copy of Amish Values for Your Family.