Friday, September 30, 2011

A lot to Cover- But first!

   This morning is so sweet, and so lovely! GOOD MORNING! I hope (if you are not already awake enjoying your day) that you are getting some of the most beneficial sleep that you have been able to snag in recent memory. I have so much I want to talk about, celebrate about... but first I want to do some book reviews. Finally, on Tuesday afternoon as soon as Tristan came home, I drove to the library. I used to eat books you see, in stacks of 5, with the utmost passion and excitement- and over the past couple years, I have hardly read at all, and when I did read I found myself in that obnoxiously comfortable place where you read the same page 3 times for lack of being able to keep your mind centered. No more! I am eating books again- and they are delicious. It may seem silly, but this shows that I am the closest to being back in my own skin, to feeling myself, to having a clear and organized mind than I have been able to claim in years. :) 

   But- ON TO THE BOOKS! I have a few to cover... 

1. The Seven Spiritual Laws for Parents; Deepak Chopra 
This is actually the first of Chopra's books that I have read... not because of any preconceived judgement, or feelings that he is not worth exploring, but far more because the great amount of his work I did know of had little to nothing to do with where I ever was in my life. (Golf for Enlightenment, for example- another one of his books I believe. Yeah, I don't play Golf- so...) So while I was at the library I was intrigued! I said to myself, "Oh, hey! I'm a parent!" And so I picked up the little book and added it to my pile. 
It's a very quick read, introducing the ideals of several different major religions, with a heavy emphasis on what it means to TRULY parent in a positive spirit. There is much emphasis on what living in and with "spirit" translates to (and does not translate to) in our society. He manages to blend these philosophies and ideals fairly smoothly, while offering practical application in the world in which we live that can be done with the family to cultivate spiritual peace and growth. My favorite of these was to gather everyone up and on one big board, every Sunday, write down your major wish for the week... mine might be, "getting a second car." (lol) Then, as the week progresses, everyday everyone would come home and record every single blessing they encountered- and really, this is so wise. What this shows you is the awesome, simple, giving pattern of God- and how, even if your wish is or is not fulfilled, you can look back with a clear mind and see that He IS working in your life. It also shows you how to desire something, but not to obsess over it, to appreciate each thing as it comes- something that is difficult to explain to a grown adult, not to mention to a child. Did I get a second car this week? No. And does it really matter, in the end, when I see how much I have and how much I could easily overlook? Absolutely not. 
Overall, a pleasant read from a slightly different perspective- with a very loving and encouraging tone. 

2. Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding; Ina May
If you do not know who this woman is, I want to you to look her up! She is a BOSS. This woman has such an incredible depth of knowledge, an incredible spirit and manages to write everything in the most honest, humorous, loving way- I really cannot say enough. In a bit, I am also going to review her book, "Spiritual Midwifery" so more about Ina May herself in a bit. 
This book is a complete godsend- especially for women like me who felt really prepared for breastfeeding and found it to be excruciating, who are now looking back and thinking, "what the hell happened?" I've been researching on the internet, throughout other texts, etc to find the potential answers- and I am telling you, none of them covered even what she manages to nail with factual evidence and years and years of support in the first 12 pages. GENIUS! And to boot- incredibly interesting... this book is stuffed to the brim with well broken down facts about the female body, what hormones are required for proper bonding and feeding and how they are directly linked to the steps of natural labor, facts about breastfeeding worldwide, more and more interesting facts about female bodies- it's super neat! Also, there is a MASSIVE resource chapter at the end of the book- as well as the last bit, humorously and yet with great honesty, tackles the ridiculous issue which this country faces more than nearly anywhere else, which is (as she has deemed it) "nipplephobia." A great book of truth, wisdom and hope for the present and future, this is an absolute must for any Mom and even any Dad- that's right dudes, I have confidence you guys would dig this too- who have a child, one on the way or are in any stage of their parenting life. 5 freaking stars. 

3. Toilet Training the Brazelton Way; Joshua D. Sparrow, M.D. and T. Berry Brazelton, M.D.

A very short little book, which while not being the best read, does hammer in to your head some very solid parenting suggestions about potty training- allow this step in the child's life to be the child's accomplishment, not yours, and do not feel socially pressured to begin before babe is ready! Begin when your babe is ready, and your chances of true success are incomparably better. The rest of the book is conceptual with factual evidence to support this opinion, along with some explanations about the steps kids take when they are naturally discovering and exploring their bodies. In other words, it gives you specific examples to illustrate what their behavior will look like when they are prepared to make the leap from diapers, to pull ups, to big kid undies. I'd certainly recommend it to any first time parent who has never been around a toddler who is training, or who had a bad experience themselves- again, lots of emphasis on making this a loving and happy thing! Not the most "readable" and often super repetitive, but a very useful parenting guide none the less. 

Now... :D 

4. The Screwtape Letters; C.S. Lewis 
   Um, honestly, I am not even sure where to begin in my "review" of this masterpiece. It should come to no surprise to you to know that I found it to be completely and totally incredible, irresistible and instantly among my favorites. It's, in so many ways, the most gritty and hilarious portrayal of the timelessness of God, the easily swayed heart of man, and the incredibly devious nature of the devils which pursue us lifelong in the simplest of ways. 
  If you do not know the idea behind this book, let me explain... Screwtape is a "tempter" demon, who apparently has done well for himself over his years in practice. His nephew Wormwood has been assigned a young man (who they call his "patient") who's soul he must entrap in the snares of evil, or at least in total complacency with God, thus ensuring his damnation. This book is a compilation of Scewtape's letters to Wormwood, detailing the best and most efficient practices for separating a man's soul from that of His creator's. Writing this book, as a Christian, means that he had to sit down and identify all the weaknesses in his faith, in his church, in his own heart personally, in the hearts of men and women, embody them in the name of someone else, believe in it JUST enough (as an actor would) so that he could perform the play in written word- and watching this happen through the mind of C.S. Lewis is a tremendously present and wondrous thing. A brave thing to do! And my God, he does it so perfectly. This will be a book that I must buy, so that I can ravage it with pen marks and let my mind run wild with it. Surely, this is a book that I will re-read at many places in my life, and upon peeling back another layer in myself, so too shall I peel more truth from within this piece. If you should find yourself on your couch reading Screwtape, do know that you are likely to not want to eat, drink, pee or hardly breathe until you have come to it's last page and can feel the perfect heavy sigh that comes with a delightfully, newly challenged heart and mind. Seriously- read this book. And read the shit out of it.  
  
Ok... last, but not at all least! 

5. Spiritual Midwifery, Fourth Edition; Ina May Gaskin
It's that Ina May again! Well, for good reason. I picked up this book from the Charleston Birthplace, actually, out of their lovely lending library. I had only heard of Ina May before this- and I had not yet realized the importance of her character. I must preface the following with the acknowledgement that this book is not completely for everyone- much of the language in this text is fairly far out and the frequent use of the words "psychadelic" and "high" in reference to transition and contractions in labor, or "telepathic" in reference to feeling a heightened awareness with everyone and everything, may be a mild turn off for some of you, but do remember... most, if not all, of these stories are circa 1970s America, on a commune, one with nature, happy and awesome. (Personally, I dug it completely- but who is surprised by that...) But the more incredible nature of this book is the amount of information and the empowerment of women that is not just being "talked" about- it's being shown. This book shows women that birth IS natural, IS beautiful and can absolutely be taken back by the family and experienced in the way that God intended. Also, refreshingly, this book is pretty well balanced. She constantly compliments and gives major kudos to the medical personnel who were willing to believe in them and meet them half way, challenge them and teach them in their quests to become caretakers and create a community.
The book begins by explaining the people involved in this revolutionary idea of The Farm, which is a still highly successful, running commune in Tennessee. (Tristan and I actually plan on visiting this place.) She explains the dream of real healthcare, true abundant living and freedom to love and heal in a way that comes naturally and spiritually, not in a sterile, cold and often cruel way. (You must remember! 1960s-70s America- lots of horrific stuff was still totally standard in hospitals.) This dream, for Ina May and her husband Stephen, most certainly included childbirth and child rearing... the rest of the book is all about some of the most incredible births on The Farm in its early years and a bit later and also includes a complete breakdown of prenatal, labor and postpartum care and practice, specifically tailored for midwives. Again, it's heavily factual- and incredibly interesting. For me personally, this book was a life changing, healing read. Read this book, please, please, please!!! 

And with that- I must be off! Enjoy the rest of this blessed day- and I will be writing again soon. 

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