SUBTITLE: 20 Reflections on Living Intentionally Right Where You Are
AUTHOR: Susan Harris
PUBLISHER: White Lily Press
DATE: 2014
STARS: ****1/2
Like most people, Susan Harris lives an ordinary life. In Remarkably Ordinary, she challenges the notion that a person needs bright lights or golden spoons to live more productively. "Can we," Susan asks, "find purpose in every experience, encounter or seemingly random happening?" In this compilation of twenty personal stories, Susan invites the reader to embrace everyday occurrences and intentionally reflect on their meaning in his or her life. These stories provide a way of seeing life's experiences through new eyes and discovering the lessons that can be learned from them in order to find happiness right where you are. An ordinary life is a vibrant and successful life, and each of us can draw out beauty from whatever we encounter. Susan shares her ordinary life, from a childhood on an exotic tropical island to adulthood on the prairies, and reflects on how her experiences have changed her and enriched her life.
In sharing these experiences with her, you will be inspired to examine your own life. When you do, you may find that your life can be deeper and more meaningful than you ever imagined.
From the tropical island of Trinidad to the broad Canadian prairies, Susan Harris has lived life to the full, and she wants us to do the same. That doesn’t mean her life has been filled with extraordinary occurrences, but her recognition of treasures in everyday events makes the ordinary worth celebrating.
I could almost hear Susan’s lilting accent in her prose in this book. Her love of history and background as a teacher come through loud and clear. In sharing these stories from her own life, she is leading us to view our own lives through the lenses of gratitude and faith. I enjoyed this book and its lessons, and it earns four and a half stars.