I've Been Thinking: Reflections, Prayers and Meditations for a Meaningful Life by Maria Shriver

I’ve Been Thinking: Reflections, Prayers and Meditations for a Meaningful Life. Maria Shriver. Penguin Publishing Group. February 2018. Hb. 240 pp. ISBN #: 9780525522607.

Maria Shriver is totally correct in saying we are now living in times where more is needed.  Men, women and children across this nation and world are tired of the prevailing negativity, yearning for that which makes life “good.”  No, this is not a self-help book for Pollyanna-type persons but one in which one finds inner peace, purpose, love, and even joy.

Before each meditation in this book are quotations from notable people, those who’ve made a difference in the world but not been satisfied by external accolades.  Instead they’re centered on the inner world that fuels their thoughts, words and deeds.  For example, “Who you become as a person is up to you – up to your imagination, your will, your determination, your choices…” or “What you think you become” shared by the Buddha.  Then there are sections that we have heard before like pieces on love, honesty, forgiveness, and so on.  But what about the power within each of us for “empathy,” “losing faith,” “not caring too much for what others think,” living in a “complaint-free zone” periodically, “a culture of care,” “the process of discernment,” “grieving,” and so many more topics will catch your attention and invite you to ponder each one.

One is to consider meditating on it with prayer or just letting it be in one’s consciousness until one is ready to move on to the next one.  This is not a book to be read cover to cover quickly; it’s full of wisdom and points of view that are right at different moments in life. It has thoughts and advice that one will want to repeat reading and contemplating as well as passages that will provoke and inspire at different times.  There’s no one result or goal.  The process is to just “be” with each section or passage.

Maria Shriver comes from a family of doers but this is a book about the fire and fuel behind the doing and being!  Highly recommended, inspirational nonfiction. It could just be the best book you read right now!

The Red Bandanna - A Life, A Choice, A Legacy by Tom Rinaldi

The Red Bandanna – A Life, A Choice, A Legacy. Tom Rinaldi. Penguin Publishing Group. September 2016. 224 pp. ISBAN#: 9781594206771.   

Welles Crowther was an extraordinary yet ordinary guy!  From September 11, 2001 to today and beyond, he is a true hero!

Tom Rinaldi, an ESPN correspondent, focuses on Welles’s background that led him to the selfless act of rescuing dozens of victims after the planes crashed into the World Trade Towers right up to the minute they fell.  Our hero was fascinated with two areas – being an athlete and a firefighter, the latter like his father.  He was a good student.  Despite his ordinary physical build, he excelled in lacrosse and always wore the red bandanna his father gave him.  Even when he began the job of being a junior associate in a Wall Street firm, he always kept the red bandanna in his pocket or on his desk.  It didn’t matter to him how much he was teased about it’s out of place quality for a businessman.  To Welles, it was his good luck talisman and later became the same for those who wished to honor this heroic character.

Rinaldi takes us through the teen and college years of Welles, with some very funny moments which are so normal for a student who was equally focused on study and fun. 

So what makes a hero?  The upshot is that heroes are ordinary people who move past circumstances of fear and formidable challenge to do what needs to be done, with no thoughts of grandeur or self-serving honor. 

Rinaldi takes us through the moments after the 9/11 attack to the moments when initially no one knew what had become of Welles Crowther.  But little by little, both before and after his body was found, individual recognized his photo and identified him as the guy who had led or carried each person down seventeen floors to the status of a rescued victim.  His parents describe the memorials and eulogies as well as the waving of red bandannas that grew to symbolize the unforgettable act of a true hero!  Tom Rinaldi has crafted an honorable and real memorial of the man to whom so many owed their lives and a tribute to what it means to be a true American in the worst of times! Wonderful book – a forever keeper!

A Gift of Love: Lessons Learned from My Work and Friendship with Mother Teresa by Tony Cointreau

A Gift of Love: Lessons Learned from My Work and Friendship with Mother Teresa.  Tony Cointreau. Easton Studio Press, LLC. September 2016. 200 pp.  ISBN#: 9781632260499.

Tony Cointreau lived his youth with a constant background message, “You must be perfect…” in order to be loved. So when Tony learned of the work Mother Teresa was doing with both sick and poor, it struck him as both too good to be true but also something he desperately had to experience. Unconditional love shared with those hungry in body, mind and spirit!

Tony went to India but was so traumatized by the devastating poverty, he came back to America.  Then he volunteered at a Greenwich Village, New York Hospice in 1990, a place specifically dedicated to caring for dying AIDS patient.  This was brave work at a time that little was known about the disease and AIDS patients all too frequently died alone and suffering greatly.  This book is the story of Tony’s volunteer experiences.  Yes, it’s about what he learned and experienced but it’s also an inspiring book for those who want to learn how to “be” with those who are dying, with or without AIDS.

The secrets shared are humbling experiences for both patients and volunteers who come to truly know the richness of listening, touch, sharing music, showing respect, bypassing assumptions, sharing humor no matter how severe a situation, doing whatever needs doing in the given moment, non-judgment, having faith (in something or someone – not necessarily church-oriented), and realizing saints are all around us and in us. These are just a few of the vibrant chapter headings that each contain poignant and powerful scenes exemplifying these virtues. 

A hug here and there when it’s the last thing one would normally imagine, sharing a make-believe, exaggerated, funny story with an elderly woman that makes her come alive for the first time in a long time, hugging a person with no visitors, holding a hand to give strength to someone in excruciating pain, avoiding those who would exploit the suffering and neediness of patients, allowing each individual the right to “choose” where and when to die, and so much more. 

Believe it or not; this isn’t a sad or saccharine book at all!  It’s so full of vibrant hope and peace that it’s a privilege to read it.  It certainly applies to every man, woman and child in the world.  Mother Teresa was far from the serious person people put on a pedestal but her gift of unconditional love and life permeates every page of this book and of the man she mentored to serve life and thus be served!  Moving, inspirational and highly recommended! Messages the reader will never forget and will hopefully live!

The One Command by Asara Lovejoy

The One Command: Six Steps to Attract Wealth with the Power of Your Mind. Asara Lovejoy. Penguin Group (USA). September 2012. 304 pages. ISBN #: 9780425257951.

Are finances an extraordinary difficult part of your life, an issue that brings stress and worry?  According to the news around the world, this seems to be the state of far too many people.  Asara Lovejoy poses a different premise herein: it doesn't have to be that way at all.  According to the information in this new book, each human being is able to access an area of consciousness that can change all the negativity and struggle.  Rather than posing it as just a spiritual practice, Lovejoy believes anyone can tap into this aspect of one's being that is as real as one's DNA!

How To Do It?  The author takes the reader through a list of things to do.  This might be easier for those who are used to doing meditation, yoga or other practices that slow down our racing brains and allow us to reach what is called the "theta" state of being where one can then move to the other steps.  No, they aren't in this synopsis but they are ground, align, go to theta, command, expand, and receive with gratitude.

Each step is carefully described in steps and numerous examples are given of those who actually practice this way of living. No, this isn't like buying a lottery ticket; it's a way of living that not only touches one's finances but also touches one's body, ways of thinking, mental state, attitudes, and so much more!

In some ways, these principles aren't new; many books this reviewer has read have pointed to the focus.  But what is quite appealing about this one is the simplicity of the steps, the very clear directions, and the realistic picture it expands upon.  We are what we eat, it is said - well, we are also what we think, if that thinking is grounded in a different focus of attraction to good things and rejection of others.  We could say more but instead will strongly suggest you give this simple yet profound book a definite read!  It might be more than worth its price!