I've been thinking . . . reflections, prayers, and meditations for a meaningful life /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

In this candid and heartfelt book, Shriver offers up the lessons she's learned along the way, and the meditations she's kept by her side as a touchstone for the challenges that arise. The quotes, scriptures, prayers, and reflections within are meant to encourage empowerment, accomplishment, and forward mobility in women of all ages.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Introduction (p. 1)
• I Am Who I Choose to Become (p. 5)
• Seeing the Jewel Inside (p. 8)
• Working on "Intestinal Fortitude" (p. 11)
• Life Is Yours to Create ... and to Re-create (p. 14)
• What I Learned About Power from a Community of Nuns (p. 17)
• The Power of Peace Starts from Within (p. 21)
• The Power of Gratitude (p. 24)
• The Power of Positive Thinking (p. 26)
• The Power of the Mind (p. 31)
• The Power of Women (p. 33)
• The Power of Presence (p. 36)
• The Power of the Pause (p. 39)
• The Power of Listening (p. 44)
• The Power of Empathy (p. 49)
• The Power of Letting Go (p. 53)
• The Power of Thank You (p. 56)
• The Power of Motherhood (p. 59)
• The Power of Laughter (p. 62)
• The Power of Faith (p. 64)
• The Power of Prayer and Meditation (p. 66)
• The Power of Forgiveness (p. 69)
• The Power of Your Story (p. 72)
• Chasing the Illusion of Perfection (p. 75)
• Why Acceptance Is the Path to Finding Peace (p. 79)
• Why It Takes Courage to Care (p. 81)
• An Omen from God (p. 84)
• I've Learned to Deserve (p. 89)
• Bring Joy into Your Home (p. 94)
• When Life Throws You a Curveball, Do This (p. 97)
• It's Okay-in Fact, It's Crucial-to Grieve (p. 100)
• When Is It Time to Move On? (p. 104)
• Faith Keepers (p. 107)
• What Is Love? (p. 109)
• Loving Motherhood (p. 112)
• Talk of Love, Not Hate (p. 115)
• We're in Need of a Social Kindness Movement (p. 118)
• Go Back to Move Forward (p. 121)
• I'm Giving Up on Complaining (p. 123)
• Six Family Truths I've Learned Along the Way (p. 127)
• We All Have Mental Health Issues. Here's Why It's Okay. (p. 131)
• Why We Should Stop Trying to "Go It Alone" (p. 135)
• Looking for the Light in the Cracks (p. 140)
• One Person Can Make a Huge Impact on You (p. 144)
• Men and Kindness (p. 149)
• A Message from My Mother I Will Cherish Forever (p. 152)
• Finding Peace in Your Decisions (p. 155)
• Why We Need Time to Think and Reflect (p. 158)
• Mother's Day Every Day (p. 161)
• We're All in This Together (p. 164)
• "We Are the Ones We've Been Waiting For" (p. 167)
• Something to Focus on Other Than Your Lips, Thighs, and Eyes (p. 171)
• Reflections on a Whirlwind Week (p. 174)
• My Easter Reflections (p. 177)
• A Time to Rest (p. 181)
• What I'm Grateful for This Thanksgiving (p. 186)
• What I'm Carrying with Me into Each New Year (p. 189)
• Don't Call Me an Empty Nester (p. 193)
• Sixty Life Lessons for My Birthday (p. 198)
• Hope (p. 205)
• Epilogue (p. 207)
• Oh! And One More Thing: The Power of Reevaluating (p. 211)
• Acknowledgments (p. 225)

Excerpt provided by Syndetics

The Power of Gratitude "Gratitude is a flower that blooms in noble souls." --Pope Francis I believe strongly in the power of gratitude. And scientific research backs that up. It shows that making a daily conscious effort to be grateful does in fact make you a happier, more hopeful person. There are those lucky ones who come by their attitude of gratitude naturally. It seems like they were born happy, optimistic, and grateful. But most of us have to work at having a positive frame of mind. I've found that the best way to get that is to have a daily gratitude practice. So every morning when I open my eyes, and before my feet touch the ground, I thank God for the gift of my life. I give thanks for my health, my family, my friends, and for the country I'm blessed to live in. I've found that starting out that way makes for a better day and, in turn, I believe it makes for a better life. I seek out people who have a gratitude practice. I love talking with them and learning from them. They look at the world through a clear lens. They're more joyful. When adversity arises, they bounce back faster. They know and feel that they have a good thing going. And they do. The truth is, you can never be grateful enough. So it's worth seeking out people who are like this and asking them how they stay that way: their practices, their principles, and how they put those into action. The power of gratitude can turn a bad day into a good one. It reboots your spirit. It makes you look at your life in a different way. Being thankful can make all the difference in your day. So start your very own daily gratitude practice. Write down what you're grateful for, reflect on what you wrote, and carry the gratitude into your day. It'll make all the difference in the world. Dear God, thank you for all the times when I am blessed by the kindness of others. You have surrounded me with people who care for me and bless me every day with kind words and actions. Help me to show them the same kindness they have provided. Help me to know how deeply I appreciate them and to know that I treasure them as a gift from you to me. Amen. Excerpted from I've Been Thinking ...: Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life by Maria Shriver All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Journalist Shriver writes about her quest for a meaningful life, borrowing from her digital newsletter, the Sunday Paper, along with "personal reflections, memorable quotations and prayers." She fully embraces the power of positive thinking, which sometimes makes for some rather lightweight affirmations. These include pithy recommendations such as, "Nothing like laughter to turn your day around" and "To keep going you must have hope." She does, however, encourage deeper contemplation on issues that stem from a mature life, such as the loss of parents, empty nesting, and social justice. Shriver shares nothing of her own brush with public humiliation; she considers herself a storyteller who opts not to share the intimacies of her public life and winsomely concludes that this book's singular purpose is encouragement-to compel others to think about what makes for their own meaningful life. VERDICT An optimistic reminder to be gentle with oneself.-Sandra Collins, Byzantine Catholic Seminary Lib., Pittsburgh © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

In a collection of reflections that are more sincere than eloquent, Shriver (Ten Things I Wish I'd Known-Before I Went Out into the Real World) meditates on finding a meaningful life. The award-winning journalist, former First Lady of California, and niece of President John F. Kennedy writes informally about her four children, four brothers, and 60 years of learning and praying. She pays homage to her mother, Eunice, and her father, Sargent. When the latter developed Alzheimer's, Shriver became adamant about working toward a cure for the disease, and her work raising money and awareness is mentioned frequently. Each short chapter (of which there are over 50) begins with a quote from a speaker, activist, writer, or spiritual leader such as Maya Angelou, Louisa May Alcott, St. Ambrose, and even Shriver herself. Each chapter ends with a prayer that flows from her heart, if not so smoothly from her pen: "Dear God, don't let me be caught in resentment or any other form of fear and hate. If they appear, please turn my thoughts into prayer for my enemy or someone in need." Among the topics she covers are kindness, mental health, peace, time to reflect, grief, and power-of the mind, of women, of the pause, of empathy. The honesty of this uplifting book will please Shriver's established readership as well as new readers looking for inspiration. Agent: Jan Miller, Dupree Miller. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Kirkus Book Review

An award-winning television journalist muses on how to successfully negotiate the challenges of living in the modern world.Shriver (Just Who Will You Be?, 2008, etc.) grew up a member of the storied Kennedy family. Despite great privilege, however, she has continually struggled with defining what constitutes a "meaningful life," especially in an age when we are all "inundated with news and information about how terrible everything is." This collection, which emerged from the author's "I've Been Thinking" column in her digital newsletter, The Sunday Paper, provides a series of short meditations on everything from the power of gratitude and positive thinking to the blessings of love and family. Each piece begins with quotations from the likes of Eleanor Roosevelt, Oprah Winfrey, and Gandhi and ends with personal prayers that reflect Shriver's deep devotion to her faith. The author begins with observations on the need for cultivating self-acceptance and "intestinal fortitude" to withstand a world that has become increasingly hostile and "unsteady." As she celebrates female empowerment, she also remarks on the need for peopleand women in particularto care for their physical, mental, and spiritual health, now more than ever. In speaking of the work she has done in her life as a journalist and advocate for Alzheimer's education, Shriver notes that motherhood, "the biggest, most powerful, most all-encompassing job on the planet," has been her greatest challenge. Her four children have been bearers of important lessons in "patience, kindness, and acceptance" as well as the most difficult but necessary lesson of all: letting go. What partially saves this well-intentioned book from reading like a series of trite platitudes is Shriver's underlying understanding of current events. Beyond positive thinking, what we all need are "leaders who bring us together" and citizens who can "listen with open mindsto find a common thread."A heartfelt but unexceptional book. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Maria Shriver was born Maria Owings Shriver on November 6. 1955, in Chicago. She is the second child of the politician Sargent Shriver and Eunice Kennedy Shriver. She is also the niece of U.S. President John F. Kennedy.

She is a journalist who received a Peabody Award and co-anchored the NBC Emmy winning coverage of the 1988 Summer Olympics. She also won two Emmy Awards as executive producer of "The Alzheimer's Project". This special also earned her an Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Award for developing a television show with a conscience.

Maria Shriver earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in American Studies from Gerogetown University in 1977. She wanted to focus on writing with her book, "Ten Things I Wish I'd Known Before I Went Out into the Real World". She discovered her passion for broadcast journalism while working on her father's vice presidential campaign and sitting with the press corps. She moved on to co-anchor the CBS Morning News with Forest Sawyer. She also began contributing to other news shows such as Dateline NBC.

With her marriage to Arnold Schwarzenegger, she became the First Lady of California in 2003, when he was elected governor. Maria Shriver is a strong advocate for Special Olympics and sits on their Interantional Board. Her book title's include: What's Wrong with Timmy?, What's Happening to Grandpa?, And One More Thing Before You Go . . ., and I've Been Thinking. . . Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life, and I've Been Thinking... - The Journal.

(Bowker Author Biography)