An Inspirational Book To Read…

Today I am sharing a new book with you all, written brilliantly by Christine Organ. “Open Boxes- the gifts of living a full and connected life” is my favorite kind of book to read, because each chapter is a new fresh story and message for the reader to soak in. Through the pages, Christine shares her personal stories as a launching ground to delve into her insights about living a life full of grace, wonder, and every day miracles.

Christine is a deep thinking, spiritual woman, who wants to encourage us all to find and open our own stashed and stacked boxes in our lives. Our gifts of living with intentional meaning are stuck in those boxes as we keep such strong boundary lines that prevent full connectedness and fulfillment.

“We separate. We package. And we hide.”

She charges us to open the boxes of all the areas of our life (Work, family, faith…) instead of compartmentalizing them and storing them where we cannot truly experience the wonder, grace and every miracles that each box offers. If we dare to truly dive into our own vulnerabilities and search for the string that connects them all, then we will find a greater appreciation for these gifts. I found her philosophy to be enlightening and inspiring in many ways.

“When we box up our lives, we set boundaries and draw clear lines, hiding vulnerabilities, isolating spiritual practices from our daily routine, and separating family from career from faith. Bo-keeping doesn’t work all that well for those of us who want a life of meaning, purpose, and joy. While these tiny little boxes-with their neat rows and pretty exteriors-might give the illusion of order and put-togetherness, they also hold all the messy goodness inside.”

Seeking purpose and meaning in our lives, is critical to feeling a sense of fulfillment and a deeper understanding of our own truths. Christine has an open mind to all walks of faith and her own spirituality is what she discovered to be the thread that connects everything in her life. She urges us to find our own sacred ground to walk on wherever that may be, and she offers her own personal faith testimony that drives her passionate perspective. She opens such a large landscape of spirituality, that any reader of any religion would be inspired by her message. Her passion and mission is to move us all to celebrate and honor who we are and how our lives are one big miraculous tapestry.

My favorite story “Divine Kindness in an Old Navy Parking Lot” is a perfect example of Christine taking her story and enlightening us with new found truth. She is at Old Navy and finds herself in the throes of a typical mama-conflict with her child, who desperately wanted a stuffed bear. She quickly realized that her little angel had dragged it across the dirty floors of the store, so she begrudgingly surrendered to having to buy it. Like any mother with a two- year old, she was worn to the bone…

“I was tired. I was broken. And I was weak. So I caved.”

Then, a lovely unapologetic bystander had the nerve to lay into her about her parenting skills. This woman was downright rude. After her barrage of judgment, Christine forfeited her pride and politely responded with “Thank you. I appreciate your advice.”

What happened next is where the true gift is unwrapped. As she was walking out of the store, surely feeling berated and beaten up, a man pulled up in a car and said this:

“Excuse me. I just wanted to tell you that I saw what happened in the store. I was humbled and amazed. You handled that situation beautifully and I am inspired. You have inspired me. I will carry that with me the rest of the day as I try to be a better person. Thank you.”

This story and Christine’s powerful message of how we all can make a difference in this world and in another person’s life is inspiring. She further goes on to encourage us all to offer grace and kindness in connecting with people everywhere. She expands this topic through identifying that human kindness is the core value of the world’s religions, and putting kindness into action will profoundly affect the world as a whole.

“It can be overwhelming to realize that our actions have the ability to affect someone else and the greater whole. There is an amazing empowerment, but also a great vulnerability, that comes with the realization that everything we do matters, that every moment is a chance to create a miracle.”

Let that soak in, would you?

Christine offers you a glimpse into her boxes and how she illuminates all the wonder, grace and miracles in her life. In doing so, she inspires the reader to seek fulfillment and purpose and above all- truth in who we are and how our own opened boxes can shift our perspective and propel us all to live a full and connected life.

I love how she wraps up this mighty package she created for us all…

“I hope that these stories have given you a glimpse of the way that grace opens boxes and the ways that wonder creates space for the tired threads to climb out. I hope that these stories have given you a taste of the miracles that surround us each and every day. I hope that they have inspired you to find the ways that you can find the grace, wonder, and everyday miracles in your own life.”

Oh Christine, they did.

They surely did.

If you would like to have an inspirational book to read, such as this- head over to Amazon and buy it HERE!

*I was given a copy of this lovely book, in order to share my personal review.*