New Book: Creating a Pause

Creating a Pause, Turning the Ordinary to the Sacred is available on Amazon, and my hope is that it encourages people, especially young mothers, to slow down their busy lives and to find ways of incorporating pauses, little mini-rituals that are neither costly nor time-consuming, as a way to enrich their lives as well as those of their family members and friends.

I have friends and family—and ex-students— who have taught me so much, and I share some of the lessons I’ve learned from observing them.  Just as sometimes the little deed reveals  one’s character, so too does the little pause of reflection have the ability to create a new dimension.

In the book are full-page photographs that illustrate the chapters and invite one to slow down and enjoy the artistry.  One photographer, Isaac Gautschi, is a young man who thought his life was in music but because of a terrible motorcycle accident, his life took a new direction.  Almost every bone was broken except his index finger, which allowed him to follow his mother’s advice to take photographs.  Issac is a deeply spiritual person, which is reflected in his work.  The other photographer is my daughter-in-law, Nichole Hoffman, who loves family and who works to create memories for her two daughters and husband through her photography…and now us.  In her work there is always an “Ah-h-h.”