The Little Things
August 12, 2014

Last week I mentioned that I would be starting a journaling series with the goal of having some intentional moments to think about life. This post is the first of many in this journaling series. Enjoy!

Books are so powerful, aren’t they? They have the power to educate, to help us escape from our current lives, to take us on adventures we could never go on in our real lives, to heal, to grow us, to educate, and to change our lives. My parents instilled a love of reading early on in my life, and I’m so glad that they did. Books have changed my life in so many ways, and I count reading as one of the “little things” in life that, added together, can create big changes.

When I think about books that changed my life, it’s really hard to pick one, or even a small handful. For the purpose of this, however, I’ll only choose two books. The first book that changed my life is the book Boundaries (I write more about it in the following posts: Introducing Boundaries, Influence vs. Ownership, and Acknowledging Our Hurts). The ability to understand how to say yes and no appropriately, how to take appropriate responsibility for things (and, alternatively, what not to take responsibility for in life), and to let go of some of the people-pleasing tendencies I had was so incredibly freeing.  Boundaries are the foundation of any healthy relationship we might have, and they are critical.

The second book that changed my life was the book A Grace Disgused: How The Soul Grows Through Loss. This was given to me after multiple friends had died (it made for a REALLY tough year of life), and gave me a deep sense of hope as I journeyed through grief. A brief quote that I love: “The decision to face the darkness, even if it led to overwhelming pain, showed me that the experience of loss itself does not have to be the defining moment of our lives. Instead, the defining moment can be our response to the loss. It’s not what happens to us that matters as much as what happens in us. Darkness, it is true, had invaded my soul. But then again, so did light…” In those difficult moments of grief, I felt like the author (who lost his mom, wife, and daughter in a car accident) opened my own journal and wrote from that. It’s a book I recommend to anyone going through loss.

Books Can Change Lives Quote

Here’s your first journal prompt:

Think about a book that touched your life in a significant way. What made the book significant, and how did life change as a result? Feel free to share those books in the comments here as well!

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One response to “This Could Change Your Life {Journal Series}”

  1. Melissa says:
    August 12, 2014 at 10:12 am

    I’m glad that I don’t have to choose just one… I don’t think I could!