Nurturing the Soul of Your Family: 10 Ways to Reconnect and Find Peace in Everyday Life Paperback – February 19, 2013

My measure if a book is "good" or not includes whether I would read it again, if it sticks with me and if it's worth buying versus loaning from the library. Nurturing the Soul of Your Family is definitely worth its weight in gold & a book that I will be referencing again and again. (It will also be my new go-to gift for birthdays & holidays!) I can't shake Renee's assertion that, "We're together for a reason. These souls. At this time. In this place. There's no more perfect incubator or hothouse for personal and spiritual growth than one's family." In light of this sacred opportunity, Renee provides very practical, encouraging tips & ideas for how to thrive as a family and not just survive. She shares honestly and vulnerably about her own family experiences in a way that is clear she's "walking the talk." I especially appreciated the Putting It Into Practice exercises at the end of each chapter - it gave me the chance to move good-sounding theories & ideas into every day life. This is a must-read for everyone! Our families - and ultimately WORLD - would be all the better for it.

With compelling real-life examples, Renee Peterson Trudeau inspired me to shift my priorities in how I engage with my family. The aha moment that stopped me in my tracks came when she reminds us that children are only in the home for a short period of time and your relationship with them as adults will last much longer. She asks us to wonder "what kind of adult am I raising?" Imagine the positive life changes if all of us asked that question repeatedly in our interactions with children! While I'm single, I take my relationship as aunt to my nephews and nieces seriously and found many wonderful ideas in her book to help me deepen these cherished relationships. Also, as a life coach, her wide variety of recommended activities to follow up on the ideas shared will help me be a better coach to clients feeling overwhelmed by the demands of both raising and engaging with family. Highly recommended!

I began reading this book when my dear family was going through a difficult time.After reading this book, I looked at my family with different eyes. Renee's book gently took me by the hand and reminded me that, yes, I do have hope, and yes, I do have power. Her exercises, practical tools and encouragement inspired me to keep taking those baby steps to nurture my family, trusting that those seeds would grow and bear fruit. She re-encouraged me to live by my values - which are counter to our culture - and to give myself the support to honor them.I slowly put back into practice the things that nurtured my family's soul. It helped me find my caring again when I was feeling worn down and tired by the long days and years of motherhood.I recommend it for all mamas.

This is a phenomenal book for mamas who want concrete ideas on how to more deeply connect with their families and establish soulful rituals and routines in the everyday. I can attest to the growing hunger for this need - in my work with mamas worldwide, I hear time and time again their desire for mentorship and guidance around how to raise their families to a beat of a different drum than society is pounding. I love how Renee's book helps you get clear on your true desires vs those sold to us from the outside...and then how to lead your flock in those ways. Just a brilliant and timely message.

Even though I don't have children, I found this book to be a great source of information on simplifying, downsizing, and re-prioritizing the various areas of your life. Some of the parts of Renee's life are like mine: moving around a lot and losing your parents early. She has a lot of wisdom and valuable research to share to help you decide how you want your life to be so you can live it that way. Her first book is wonderful, too, and is helpful for single women.

The mere act of reading this book feels like a cool dip on a hot day. Renee's energy and writing style is naturally soothing and each page simply felt like ahhhhh.... Seems it should be hard work to get so many insights about transforming your life and family, but she makes it feel easy. There are lots of invitations throughout to go deeper - or you can simply read and let her storytelling take you away. I've already bought copies for siblings and friends - this is a classic.

More peace and connection with your family. Isn't that what we're all yearning for right now? Renee delves into this with beautiful stories, journaling exercises, and loads of ideas and resources. I've been leading Personal Renewal Groups (PRG's) based on her previous book, "The Mother's Guide to Self-Renewal" and am looking forward to starting a new group based on this book for those who have already attended a PRG and want more, or for anyone just stepping into the idea of self-care and simple living.

I found so much truth and good advice in this book that I've asked my husband to read through it with me so we can really apply some keys to our family life. We are living a more simple and satisfying life.