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29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life
by
Cami Walker (Goodreads Author)
At age thirty-five, Cami Walker was burdened by a battle with multiple sclerosis, a chronic neurological condition that made it difficult for her to walk, work, or enjoy her life. Seeking a remedy for her depression after being hospitalized, she received an uncommon prescription from an African medicine woman:Give to others for 29 days.29 Giftsis the insightful story of th...more
Hardcover, 256 pages
Published
October 6th 2009
by Da Capo Press
(first published 2009)
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This was a disappointment, so I won't dwell on it much. The voice struck me too often as a bit spoiled (though naive to that fact--and I don't mean to belittle the struggles of MS). I was hurrying through to the end, which fizzled, so I could get on to reading something else. I just didn't connect with it, but I did finish it. If it has been horrible I would have stopped and moved on without finishing it, but it wasn't like that. It just turned me off. Another GoodReads reviewer wrote
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I'm inspired into action! While having trouble joining her website (techie problems) --I called a phone number on the "29 Gifts" site and Cami Walker answered the phone. Surprised the heck out of me! I chatted about Cami about her book --and her health, (she hasn't been doing very well for a couple of months). Having MS is a daily challenge.
Lin from Goodreads (and our Woman's group) sent me this book ----so its now my turn to 'gift-give'.
I bought 5 more of Cami...more
Lin from Goodreads (and our Woman's group) sent me this book ----so its now my turn to 'gift-give'.
I bought 5 more of Cami...more
My Mother gave me this book for my 40th Birthday. She had no clue the challenges I was facing in my life at the time, I didn't want to trouble her or have her worry, she was a big worrier (hmmm. that's where I get that from).
My Mother passed away this last October as I was not yet finished reading the book. I often would let her know during our phone conversations that I was in the process of reading the book and enjoying it.
I received a phone call from my Aunt on October 26th...more
My Mother passed away this last October as I was not yet finished reading the book. I often would let her know during our phone conversations that I was in the process of reading the book and enjoying it.
I received a phone call from my Aunt on October 26th...more
Wow, what a great little book! In 29 Gifts, Cami Walker retells her inspirational story of how an unlikely prescritpion (stop focusing on your self and give 29 gifts in 29 days) shifts her focus from the MS diagnosis she is living with just one month after being married to what she can offer to the world. The "prescription" comes from a friend and spiritual teacher, an African medicine woman named Mbali Creazzo. When Cami is at her darkest hour and decides she has nothing more to lo...more
I got interested in this because the author has MS. My sister has MS, so I'd like to learn more about the challenges & feelings the disease can cause. I felt like the author gave a very honest view of her struggle, and so I liked that aspect of the book.
I've noticed in my life in the past that gratitude is a very powerful emotion, and I think that ties in with the experiment the author writes about here. When you focus on the positive things in your life, you'll notice more positive ...more
I've noticed in my life in the past that gratitude is a very powerful emotion, and I think that ties in with the experiment the author writes about here. When you focus on the positive things in your life, you'll notice more positive ...more
In 29 Gifts Cami Walker tells of how her life was turned upside down when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis one month after her wedding. Quickly losing control over her body and facing a drastically different life than she had planned she sank into a deep depression and prescription drug addiction. When her neighbor, a South African healer prescribed a regime of 29 days of gift giving to heal her, Cami thought the idea was crazy. Desperate to gain control of her life she finally agreed a...more
It's hard for me to give this book a rating. For me, it deserves two different scores.
If I am rating the concept and the inspiration I received from reading it, I would give it a 5. The idea that giving a gift a day for 29 days is really inspired. It helps take the focus off of selfish things and puts it on giving to others. And that can have a profound impact on a person's life. I love this and I have found my own way of thinking has been changed as I have thought how I can implemen...more
If I am rating the concept and the inspiration I received from reading it, I would give it a 5. The idea that giving a gift a day for 29 days is really inspired. It helps take the focus off of selfish things and puts it on giving to others. And that can have a profound impact on a person's life. I love this and I have found my own way of thinking has been changed as I have thought how I can implemen...more
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This book is a story about the author dealing with her diagnosis of MS and how it affects her life. It is honest in the difficulties of dealing with the disease and the struggles and heartache it brings on. During her darkest time a friend suggests that she begin a 29 day period of giving. The book is her account of giving for 29 days straight and how giving opens up a whole new worldview for her.
One quote from the book sums it all up well:
"Healing doesn't happen in a vacuum...more
One quote from the book sums it all up well:
"Healing doesn't happen in a vacuum...more
I loved the concept of giving 29 gifts in 29 days. Although I have high standards for writing, I empathized with the author who was new to her struggle with MS. At the same time, having a very dear friend who has struggled with MS for 13 years, I couldn't help but think about the author's future. The initial acceptance is very hard when you feel so ambushed by your body. Unfortunately, it is highly likely that she has barely scratched the surface of what she will endure in the years to come....more
I really enjoyed the principle of this book. (she writes simply. with a sense of humor as well as with honesty. be aware of some language.) Most of us find ourselves thinking of the things we are without or the things we wish were different. This is about being aware of others, focusing outwardly. I have done something like this a few different times in my life and I'm excited to take part of this "movement" of giving at this time. I'm on day two today and hope to continue on this ques...more
155.232 W I read this at the advice of a good friend, but I wasn't that taken by this simplistic story of turning your life around by doing good for others. And I just didn't like the author. Her 29 gifts were often not really gifts at all or such minor gifts such as "letting" her aunt scrub her apartment, washing the dishes so her husband wouldn't have to, letting him pick the movie at the theater, etc. And although she says they have no money,she seems to be throwing it around,telli...more
What a surprisingly marvelous read. After reading The Happiness Project, I was ready for another self-indulgant tale of a pampered woman longing to "discover more" about herself, but instead, this moving book is about releasing pain, ego and negativity through focusing on others and giving your energy to the world. Cami Walker, who suffers from debilitating MS, uses her illness as a crutch until she decides to embrace the philosophy of giving - once she changes her mindset, she finds h...more
This is a highly inspirational read and a premise that is greatly effective - forgetting oneself and serving others. I also realized how debilitating multiple sclerosis is and how seemingly understandable it would be to just give in to both the symptoms and the disease. I liked how the overall focus of the giving cycle was to get to the point where the sacrificed gift really felt like a sacrifice, something that the giver really thought that he/she could not live without.
It is also easy ...more
It is also easy ...more
This was a quick read...author has MS and was struggling with health issues; anger about her situation (found out she had MS two months after being married and had to go on disability from a highly paid position in advertising). Through a friend who was a medicine woman, she was given the challenge of giving 29 gifts in 29 days...gifts needn't be big...could be sending out a prayer for a friend, giving extra change to a homeless person, spending time with a friend who needed to talk,e tc. How...more
29 gifts is an amazing book. Writer Cami Walker writes with raw vulnerability, power, inspiration, humor and integrity. This book is about how giving changed Cami's life as well as influencing thousands of people. I cannot recommend this book enough to anyone. If you want to be reminded of the good the world, read this book. If you want to be reminded of miracles in the world, read this book. If you want to know that abundance is in this world, read this book. If you are in a tough place and nee...more
Diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis only a month after her idyllic wedding, Cami Walker is locked in a nightmare of panic attacks, self-pity, overwhelming debt and prescription drug abuse when Mbali, her spiritual advisor, "prescribes" a program of giving--Cami is to give one gift to someone every day for 29 days. Her trust in Mbali overcomes her reluctance, and Cami embarks on the gift-giving to find that moving from a framework of scarcity to a framework of abundance changes her life a...more
A teenager recently asked what I was reading, and I said, "29 Gifts. It is about a woman struggling with multiple sclerosis, and she decides, as kind of an experiment, to give one gift a day for 29 days." The teen said, "And what is that supposed to do for her?" Bing! "Well, she journals each day about what happens, and it helps her to focus on what she has to offer the world. She doesn't worry so much about herself, and she begins to feel better." Huh, said the tee...more
Ths memoir is both disturbing and inspirational. It is written by a young woman who has Multiple Sclerosis. Initially, the disease has her disabled emotionally and physically but she becomes inspired by an African medicine woman, Mbali Creazzo, who challenges her to give 29 gifts in 29 days. These gifts must be heartfelt and gifts from oneself not bred of "shoulds". The story takes the reader through the 29 day journey and the healing which occurs from the abundance Cami gained. In ...more
I heard about this book in a magazine and was intrigued. Cami Walker suffers with MS (not mentioned in the short review that I read) as do my brother and one of my friends, so it gave me added insight into what they deal with on a day to day basis. The concept of giving something every day to some one else - friend or stranger - is a like the random acts of kindness philosophy. It can be something as small as a giving a compliment or paying the toll of the car behind you, but it has the power to...more
I thought this would be a nice, happy, feel good kind of book, and it was to some extent. The message behind the book is great -- give gifts (any size) mindfully and awareness; giving and receiving are on the same side of the coin, etc. -- but the author is kind of annoying. I have no doubt that living with MS can be incredibly trying and Lord knows I'd probably be an emotional mess, but Walker just comes across as a tad too annoying a tad too many times in this book. I wouldn't recommend this t...more
I enjoyed reading this book in a casual manner. The author did a wonderful job journaling her experience of applying the advice and guidance given to her by her friend and spiritual mentor. It changed her life and she is sharing that change and affecting many.
In the end the challenge she offers is for us to begin living more consciously and to find ways to give and receive in that state of consciousness. She is a wonderful example of how living from a positive place can have power to ...more
In the end the challenge she offers is for us to begin living more consciously and to find ways to give and receive in that state of consciousness. She is a wonderful example of how living from a positive place can have power to ...more
I thought this was going to be a really good, uplifting book. In some ways it was. The author, Cami Walker was diagnosed with MS only a month after she got married and for the next 2 years she grew weaker and weaker and was in constant pain. Needless to say this did not help start her marriage off well. In the midst of this horrible time a good friend and spiritual mentor suggested she start a 29 day giving challenge, where she would give a gift every day for 29 days. It didn't have to be a...more
I just finished reading this book and liked it. The author's premise of 29 gifts in 29 days reminded me of the "practice random acts of kindness" movement some years ago. Especially as we approach the Christmas season, any reminder to be more conscientious of others with less focus on ourselves is needed. I do wish that the author had given this reader the gift of less profanity. Not that there was a lot, but what was included in the text was not necessary. Unlike the author, who ...more
Cami Walker writes a compelling book about the power to change your life by changing the way you view life. Her struggle with MS and the disabling effects of her disease had brought her to her knees, but the 29 Gifts project prescribed by an African-American healer transformed Cami's way of thinking, and gave her a new lease on life. As a result, Cami has started the 29 Gifts movement on-line where inspiring stories can be shared by others who have committed to take on the 29 Gifts project as ...more
This book is a really great concept and it did make me more aware of how I could give back to my community, even in a very small realm. However, it did not convince me to take the 29 Day challenge. Perhaps I am a negative New Yorker who doesn't want to another "something do to" on my list of daily routines, but I will come away with thinking I could give a little more in my day to day life. As well as inspiring a person to give a little more, this book also teaches you about MS. I di...more
I saw Cami Walker interviewed on TV and thought her story was inspirational. It got me to buy and read the book. I did like the book and I really liked to concept of consciously giving everyday and also remembering and acknowledging how blessed we are. I centered a YW's lesson on this book and on service/gratitude and challenged my YW to give for 29 days. So far we are on day 5 and already I can see a shift in my thinking and how I now look for opportunities to give unselfishly to others. I...more
This was a good book and I gave it a 4 because I really like the encouraging way of gifting people and the message of learning to receive better was a lesson for me! I wasn't real interested in some of the references to meditation because I'm a Christian who believes completely in Jesus Christ as Supreme in my life and I don't believe in what I know of meditation. He is the one I pray to and believe for all things. The talk of making altars was distracting to me and there were sections I skip...more
I'm conflicted. While I think the concept of the 29 gifts is worthwhile, count me among Cami's detractors who believe:
“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees wha...more
“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees wha...more
This was a fantastic idea placed into a mediocre-at-best book. A five star idea, a two star book. I had such a hard time relating to the main character (she, by the way was a 2 star person that ended up with a five star attitude). She lives in Hollywood, she believes in every sort of alternate therapy. She is a recovering pain-pill addict. She doesn’t pray but sends people good thoughts through meditation (most people call this prayer). She doesn’t have much money and is in tremendous debt...more
This book is not great literature, but the story is so touching and compelling. Author Cami Walker, in her 30's, is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis shortly after her wedding. Her life is profoundly affected as she deals with physical limitations, pain and depression. A friend, a medicine woman, gives her the prescription to give 29 gifts in 29 days. This book is a diary of those gifts and the results and side-effects.
"It's clear to me that often the simplest gifts carry th...more
"It's clear to me that often the simplest gifts carry th...more
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“Gratitude keeps your heart open. When you give with an open heart, you get the profound gift of humility.”
—
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