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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Book Review - Celebrating Beginnings and Endings

About the Book
Do you want to make Mother’s Day, or any other day for that matter, extra special? Instead of the usual boring cards, corsages or dinner out, or even hundreds of family pictures packed into an expensive digital photo display, how about something truly remarkable and different?

Paula Pugh, author of the book Celebrating Beginnings and Endings, has spent much of her adult life studying and refining the art and science of capturing life’s most meaningful moments. Her amazing book captures over 100 different and innovative ways people can connect with family and friends in wonderful new ways and create truly meaningful moments in their lives.

“The first thing you need to do,” she says, “is to ask, ‘what does she really want?’ You are searching for ideas which lead you to that very special way of telling her how much she means to you. You might even go and ask her yourself! You may be amazed at what surfaces.”

Her book chronicles a multitude of ways to turn otherwise humdrum events or situations into memories that last for lifetimes. Here are some examples:

One man’s mother was in her sixties, divorced about ten years ago, still living in the home where he grew up. He asked his mom to make a “Honey Do” list for him. On Mother’s Day
he and his wife And kids spent the day doing everything she could think of that needed attention in the house.

One woman and her siblings lived near her mom. One year, the three grown “kids” held a family dinner at Mom’s house featuring the favorite family recipes. The grandkids were invited and it turned into a major league never to be forgotten laugh and cry fest at the stories and memories.

Another woman’s mom lived far away in a small retirement home with an ailing husband. Since her mom didn’t need more stuff, she decided to look back in her old photos. She chose one of her favorites showing her on a pony when she was about eight years old and wrote a letter to her mom telling her everything she could remember about that time in her life and the role that her mom played.

For Father’s Day, one man took his 87 year old uncle fishing, as a thank you for teaching him how to fish when he was a little boy. His uncle landed his very first king salmon, a bright shining silver fish that weighed just over 25 pounds and still carries the photo of the fish sitting on his lap with him everywhere he goes.

One woman’s mom passed away ten years ago, but to honor her mother she simply decided to wear one of her mother’s old hats to church on Mother’s Day.

What are you going to do for your mom and dad this year? Instead of buying flowers and sticking them on the table to wilt and be thrown away, how about planting whole bunches of flowers in the garden so that they bloom all summer long? In fact, be selective and get flowering perennials so that they last for years!

And if you are really up for making a lasting impression, plant some trees!

She continues to share the stories of wonderful celebration of others at her blog http://paulapugh.blogspot.com

Paula Pugh is a master at how to add meaning and freshness to old traditions and current transitions. You become the designer, planner and creator as you learn how to apply her incredibly simple but effective formula to transform things you do from ordinary to extraordinary. Her techniques will inspire you to truly mark your memorable moments and add depth and healing to your life as well as those you touch.

All the ideas contained in the book derive from a concept she developed called “Mark the Moment”. Each action emerged from Paula Pugh's interaction with the women in her classes and retreats over a 20 year period. This remarkable book also offers story examples for inspiration and gives people tools to deepen their relationships with family, friends, co-workers and themselves.

About the Author
Paula Pugh lives on Whidbey Island in the Pacific Northwest with her patient husband, crazy dog and two wonderful elderly horses. She plays the violin in the Saratoga Chamber Orchestra and in weekly quartet gatherings. Her two daughters are both health care providers. She has two granddaughters with whom she delights in creating meaningful moments. Paula has more than thirty years of experience as facilitator and educator. In 1997 she started Sound Wisdom Retreats, LLC which presents classes and retreats where women learn about living a healthy and balanced life. Paula has degrees from St. Olaf College, San Francisco State University, and is trained as a Peer Spirit facilitator.

My Take on the Book
This book is all about celebrating special moments in one's lives. What I loved about the book was that it was well broken down into categories that made sense and the information shared in all of the areas was practical and to the point. It held so many great ideas for how to celebrate these different moments that one could easily call this a reference manual in a way! The book truly encourages all to go beyond themselves and know how much being with others means, and through the ideas in this book, you will be able to create some special moments that all will appreciate and enjoy!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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