Books with category 🧘 Spirituality
Displaying 4 books

A Tale for the Time Being

2013

by Ruth Ozeki

In Tokyo, sixteen-year-old Nao has decided there’s only one escape from her aching loneliness and her classmates’ bullying. But before she ends it all, Nao first plans to document the life of her great-grandmother, a Buddhist nun who’s lived more than a century. A diary is Nao’s only solace—and will touch lives in ways she can scarcely imagine.

Across the Pacific, we meet Ruth, a novelist living on a remote island who discovers a collection of artifacts washed ashore in a Hello Kitty lunchbox—possibly debris from the devastating 2011 tsunami. As the mystery of its contents unfolds, Ruth is pulled into the past, into Nao’s drama and her unknown fate, and forward into her own future.

Full of Ozeki’s signature humor and deeply engaged with the relationship between writer and reader, past and present, fact and fiction, quantum physics, history, and myth, A Tale for the Time Being is a brilliantly inventive, beguiling story of our shared humanity and the search for home.

The Jesuit Guide to Everything

2010

by James Martin

The Jesuit Guide to Everything offers a practical spirituality for real life, inspired by the teachings of St. Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556), the founder of the Society of Jesus (aka the Jesuits). Known for his practical spirituality, the "way of Ignatius" has helped millions—from the doubtful seeker to the devout believer—find freedom, make friends, live simply, work sensibly, fall in love, experience joy, and enter into a relationship with God.

The Ignatian goal of "finding God in all things" means that every part of our lives can lead us to God. This book shows us how this is possible, with user-friendly examples, humorous stories, and anecdotes from the heroic and inspiring lives of Jesuit saints and average priests and brothers, as well as examples from Martin's twenty years as a Jesuit.

The Jesuit Guide to Everything translates these insights of St. Ignatius for a modern audience and reveals how we can find God—and how God can find us—in the real world of work, love, suffering, decisions, prayer, and friendship.

Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others

This beloved bestseller has helped caregivers worldwide keep themselves emotionally, psychologically, spiritually, and physically healthy in the face of the sometimes overwhelming traumas they confront every day.

A longtime trauma worker, Laura van Dernoot Lipsky offers a deep and empathetic survey of the often-unrecognized toll taken on those working to make the world a better place. We may feel tired, cynical, or numb or like we can never do enough. These, and other symptoms, affect us individually and collectively, sapping the energy and effectiveness we so desperately need if we are to benefit humankind, other living things, and the planet itself.

In Trauma Stewardship, we are called to meet these challenges in an intentional way. Lipsky offers a variety of simple and profound practices, drawn from modern psychology and a range of spiritual traditions, that enable us to look carefully at our reactions and motivations and discover new sources of energy and renewal.

She includes interviews with successful trauma stewards from different walks of life and even uses New Yorker cartoons to illustrate her points. “We can do meaningful work in a way that works for us and for those we serve,” Lipsky writes. “Taking care of ourselves while taking care of others allows us to contribute to our societies with such impact that we will leave a legacy informed by our deepest wisdom and greatest gifts instead of burdened by our struggles and despair."

The River Why

The River Why is a classic novel of fly fishing and spirituality, penned by the talented David James Duncan. Since its publication in 1983, this novel has become a beloved classic, celebrated for its unique voice and powerful narrative.

The story follows Gus Orviston, a young fly fisherman who leaves behind his comically schizoid family to carve out his own path. Seeking solitude, he retreats to a remote cabin, embarking on a quest to catch the Pacific Northwest's elusive steelhead. However, what begins as a physical pursuit soon transforms into a profound spiritual journey, as Gus's search for self-knowledge leads him through unforeseen challenges and experiences.

The River Why is not only deeply reflective about our connection to nature and each other, but it is also a comedic rollercoaster that leaves both Gus and the reader utterly transformed. Stripped bare by the journey, Duncan expertly navigates this tale of love, nature, and self-discovery, making it a must-read for anyone seeking a meaningful literary adventure.

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