Seasons of a Family's Life: Cultivating the Contemplative Spirit at Home

by Wendy M. Wright, Robert Benson (Foreword)

In Seasons of a Family's Life , Wendy M. Wright-- parent, Church historian, and follower of the contemplative tradition-- offers a reflective, story-filled, and inspirational examination of the spiritual fabric of domestic life. This practical and insightful book explores family life as a context for nurturing contemplative practices in the home. Rooted in an appreciation of our deep and wise spiritual traditions that probe the sacred alongside everyday human experience, Seasons of a Family's Life challenges us to wrestle with the great religious questions that shape our lives and offers parents a model for integrating family life and spiritual awareness. Every chapter in Wendy M. Wright's thoughtful book is a lesson in gaining an awareness of the joy in our experience as families and letting the sacred be more present in our frantically paced daily lives. Wright shows us how to pay attention to the silence that underlies our lives and encourages us to be sensitive to the ordinary moments that connect us. She reveals a family life replete with sacred spaces, rituals that enrich our time together, shared family stories, and much more. Interwoven throughout the book is a wealth of inspiring, personal stories.

Genres: Parenting, Faith

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 22, 2003

About the author

Wendy M. Wright, PhD is Professor Emerita of Theology at Creighton University in Omaha NE. She teaches regularly in several graduate ministerial programs including Oblate School of Theology's Institute for Contemporary Spirituality, Creighton University's Christian Spirituality Master's program and the National Methodist Academy for Spiritual Formation. Her expertise falls in the areas of history of spirituality (notably Salesian spirituality), family spirituality, spiritual direction and the Catholic devotional tradition. Her most recent book is Francis de Sales and Jane de Chantal (Pauline: Saints by Our Side series) and The Lady of the Angels and Her City: a Marian Pilgrimage (Liturgical Press). She is co-host of the Creighton University podcast "Catholic Comments," (http://cucatholicctr.org/catholic-com...), a retreat director and spiritual guide. She and her husband, Roger Bergman, are the parents of three adult offspring and grandparents of four.

Reviews

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seasons of a Family's Life doesn't deliver on its subtitle of "cultivating the contemplative spirit at home." Instead, it offers the reflections of a contemplative who is also a wife, mother, and college professor. I enjoyed her insights very much, but there is precious little practicality here; it's almost entirely reflections on experiences she's had, not any sort of suggestion for how to cultivate a contemplative spirit within a family. For what it is, it's good, but title promises what the book doesn't deliver. Overall, I think this is most helpful for readers who are schooled in the contemplative life already and want to integrate that part of themselves with the experience of being in a family, or for empty nesters who would appreciate a guide for reflecting on parenthood.

[Jenny]

Mentioned in Domestic Monastery

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I found it, really, because I was re-reading Richard Rohlheiser's Domestic Monastery which references a talk by Wendy Wright. That mention intrigued me, so I hunted out her books and was able to find this is one of the theological libraries near me.

This book looks at family life from a contemplative angle which is both genuinely contemplative, but also pretty robust theologically- an unusual combination believe me. Many of the books on family spirituality I've run into tend to get into didactic mode, telling the reader how to do family (meaning, in the way the author does) and never really gives much flexibility to explore and to delight. Wright's book understands contemplation and understands what Christian contemplation is, and genuinely delights in it. It is firmly convinced that we discover the way to God in parenting, but that that path is as individual as the people who tred the path. And that is refreshing.

This is Wright's second book and I fully intend to hunt out her first one. This one spoke to me also because she was at a similar point in parent as I am when she wrote this. That is, she has two children in university and one in high school. I'm a little behind that, but not so far that I don't understand where she is. That helps, but, it isn't necessary because Wright reminisces about all the stages of her parenting life.

This is definitely worth reading- a lovely mix of personal memoir, robust theology and poetic, contemplative spirit.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had previously read Francis de Sales: Essential Writings and wanted to read other books by her. This was the only other one the library had so I added it my long list of books to read. This is a very different book which focuses on her family and how she lives a spiritual life in the middle of her busy life. She writes as a Roman Catholic, a tradition deeply cyclical with seasons that repeat each year. When she wrote this her children were beginning to leave home. This book may resonate more with readers in that stage of life than ones with little ones at home but as someone with grown children I appreciate it.

[Jody · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written, intensely reflective book on family life. Written with the premise that to be in such close relationship with people is inseparable from experiencing the sacred, Wright offers multiple examples of how to embrace the holy in the 'normal' days of our lives.

It was a good reminder to me to cherish the simple things that sometimes annoy me like bedtime, giggles, or sloppy kisses!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really is perfect for me right now. The author writes about how spirituality and family life intersect: not just how we can "be less busy" so that we can then experience spiritual life, but how spirituality itself is entwined in the daily and yearly seasons of a family's life. Pretty darn interesting.

[Marianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book!! She speaks so clearly to my place in life.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as part of a parish book discussion group. It was good, but some members of the group thought the writing style of the author was too dense and hard to understand at times.