The Gift of an Ordinary Day - Book Review (Giveaway Closed)

From the book jacket:

The Gift of an Ordinary Day is an intimate memoir of a family in transition--boys becoming teenagers, careers ending and new ones opening up, an attempt to find a deeper sense of place, and a slower pace, in a small New England town. It is a story of midlife longings and discoveries, of lessons learned in the search for home and a new sense of purpose, and the bittersweet intensity of life with teenagers--holding on, letting go.

This book strongly resonated with me. As the mom of an only child who's almost 12, I'm not quite at the point where this book begins. But that point is close enough that I found myself reacting emotionally to some of the bittersweet moments that author Katrina Kenison describes. As she takes her son to his first day of high school, she recalls taking him to his first day of nursery school. The imagery of "how [she] slipped his small hand from [hers] at the nursery school door and tiptoed down the hallway, leaving him behind" is so vivid that I wanted to weep with her.

As much as this is a book about transitions, it's also about contentment. When we think of our lives in terms of milestones--only looking at the birthdays, graduations, new jobs--we miss out on the rich beauty of every day between those milestones. What I took from this book (other than a few tips for handling the teen years) is a reminder to treasure those ordinary moments. Since I read this, I've been paying extra attention to the details of everyday life. I give my son an extra hug before bedtime, I notice the crispness of fresh sheets, and I take a moment to appreciate the gorgeous rust-colored chrysanthemums in bloom. This reminder is, in itself, a gift.

Learn more about The Gift of an Ordinary Day and read an excerpt at Hachette Book Group, or purchase it from Amazon or another retailer.

Win it: Thanks to Hachette Book Group, five readers will each win a copy of The Gift of an Ordinary Day!

This giveaway is closed. Congratulations to all of the winners: Thena, Debbie, Laura, Joe & Bridge, and Nancy!

Here's how to enter: Just leave a comment to let me know that you'd like to win. Be sure to leave a way for me to contact you. Limit 1 entry by this method. This must be done in order to qualify for extra entries.

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More details: Open to residents of USA and Canada, age 18 or older. Giveaway ends 10/2/09 at noon (Eastern time). Winners will be chosen by the random number generator at Random.org. Each winner will be contacted by email and must claim the prize within 72 hours, or another winner will be chosen. No P.O. Box addresses. Void where prohibited.

Good luck, and thanks for reading!

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book, at no cost to me, for review purposes.