Day 1: The Read-Aloud Handbook, by J. Trelease
Day 2: Your Money or Your Life, by J. Dominguez and V. Robin
I read this book back in 2002. I know exactly when I read it because I remember that I brought it along on a trip we took with some friends over spring break 2002. Hunter was about to graduate from seminary. Our little group of friends was about to be broken up (at least geographically.) We took a trip to Sea Island, GA.
I need to flip back through this book to re-acquaint myself. I remember really liking it. I remember that some of the key themes of the book really resonated with me. One major theme is that money does not buy happiness. Working at a job you don't enjoy--simply to get a paycheck--is not a satisfying way to spend four or five decades. Find something you love to do, and adjust your lifestyle accordingly. You'll be much happier over the years if you enjoy your day-to-day calling/vocation.
From what I remember, this book isn't written from a Christian perspective. However, the message of stepping away from the consumerist frenzy is something that lines up really well with my faith.
Now that I've written a few sentences about my memories of this book, I've intrigued myself and I want to re-read it.
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And while I'm at it, here are two random snapshots from the spring break '02 trip that I mentioned. We had so much FUN that week.
sidenote: I was 6months pregnant with my first child at the time.
another sidenote: I'm wearing an Auburn Red Cross Blood Drive t-shirt in the bottom picture. That really cracks me up because I still have that shirt and it is absoutely the softest, most wonderful old cotton t-shirt I own. I love it so much. It has holes in a couple of different places, but I still wear it as a nightshirt sometimes. Hunter was just teasing me the other day about how it's time to say good-bye to the Blood Drive t-shirt. I'll have to show him this picture to remind him that 10 years ago this shirt actually looked good enough to wear in public.