Transition Time

School bus time! And transition time. Fall always brings change, doesn’t it?

Some of you have kids going off to college this fall. Some of you have kids starting a new school. Some of you for the first time in what seems like forever don’t have to pack lunches.

This fall I’m not starting school or a new job, and we’re not moving. But I am trying to make some changes in my writing life. Within a few weeks you should see a new website. I’ll be shutting this one down for a bit in order to do that. But I’ll be back and continue to blog once a month. On the blog I want to do more of pointing you to resources—books and articles—I’ve been reading and finding helpful. And I’ll regularly give away books.

Thanks for sticking with me through these changes. Know that I always love to hear from you, and that I’m cheering you on in your transitions this fall.

This month I had the joy of reading an advance copy of a book that will release in just a couple of weeks: Four Gifts : Seeking Self-care for Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strengthby April Yamasaki. https://www.amazon.com/Four-Gifts-Seeking-Self-care-Strength/dp/1513803344

April Yamasaki writes honestly about her own struggle in balancing faith in God with self-care. She asks the question a lot of Christians ask: “Isn’t self-care selfish? ” I asked April a couple of questions about her book. Thought I’d  share them with you.

Q: What do you hope for your readers?

A: I hope readers will come away with a bigger vision for self-care that also embraces caring for others and surrendering to God’s care and call in their lives. I hope they’ll think deeply about their core commitments and priorities for themselves and discuss these with their family, friends, and others. I hope that my words would come to life in their own thinking and experience, that readers would expand upon the book for their own personal situation and context.

Q: How is Four Gifts different from other books on self-care?

A: Other books tend to focus on just one aspect of self-care—like boundaries, or self-care for clergy, or self-care for moms, or some other element of self-care or a particular audience. The emphasis tends to fall on story-telling or how-tos with relatively less attention given to larger questions. But what exactly is self-care? Does it make a difference to think of it as soul care? Is it different from being selfish or self-indulgent? What does self-care mean in light of caring for family and community? In light of Jesus’ call to his followers to deny themselves? Four Gifts addresses these and other questions by weaving together personal stories, biblical and theological insights, questions for reflection, and self-care practices.

I love that April doesn’t shy away from the questions we all have about the true value of self-care.

I’ll be giving away a copy of April’s book next month when I launch my new website (aftonrorvik.com).

I’ll also be giving away this adorable crocheted owl (with thanks to Linda Washington).

As always, I’m cheering you on as you seek to live connected. See you next month with a new look!