Hi, I've been super busy Since May launching our new book,"Make Love Whenever Possible When Married With Children" and our companion website, makelovewheneverpossible.com. But now that we've got our business facebook,Twitter account and new taboo blogs rolling--I think I can get back to writing on my Reading Like Oprah blog too!
So when I saw the movie, " The Kids Are All Right" I thought," Hey, If Julianne Moore and Annette Bening can make their marriage work amidst the craziness of family life--so can the rest of us! I also realized that for the August/September reading focus--It's time to go back to a book we began reading months ago. Elizabeth Gilbert's " Committed" --Now that her earlier book, "Eat Pray Love" is a new movie opening this Friday nationwide with the fabulous Julia Roberts, I thought...It's time to re-visit this author and delve deeper in to her thoughts on love, marriage and the stress of it all!
Hopefully, many of you still have your copy of the book. "Committed" I have been re-reading sections I skipped--yes, I do that--
My favorite line today from the book is this one on page 131. " Maybe creating a big enough space within your consciousness to hold and accept someone's contradictions-someone's idiocies,even-is a kind of divine act. Perhaps transcendence can be found not only on solitary mountaintops or in monastic settings, but also at your own kitchen table, in the daily acceptance of your partner's most tiresome, irritating faults."
I love my man deeply, but after 21 years..day in and day out--I find, like Elizabeth says..I have to find acceptance at my kitchen table every day--otherwise we're doomed. Their are aspects to anyone, that if focused upon, will drive us mad. My mantra with my man is focusing on all his positive qualities--I think this is why we I still am in love with him.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Sunday, April 4, 2010
The New Oprah April Pick
Well Dear friends...sorry it's been so long since I've posted, but not only did I lose my Mom in late December, but my Dear Stepmom just passed away less than two weeks ago and I've been in a bit of a fog.
We have also been busy trying to save our house, raise our kids and launch our new book. Our new website just went live:Makelovewheneverpossible.com
Sometimes life really is intense. But I think I am exiting the fog. I find myself whistling again and enjoying the little things. Music. My kids. My husband. I still miss my Mom and now my Stepmom, but I've decided they are both standing right beside me as I continue my journey this lifetime as a wife, Mom, teacher, writer.
So..here goes..my April Oprah pick and finally a new post! So our new Oprah pick is, yes, another Memoir! " Falling Apart in One Piece" by Stacy Morrison. The Redbook editor in chief chronicles her own divorce and arrives at some wise conclusions.
Since the book I just wrote with my best friend chronicles our fight to stay married amidst the craziness of raising kids I think it will be good for me to read about what did not work and how this very accomplished career woman has handled all that.
Let's keep reading. Writing. Staying Creative--despite all obstacles!
take care all, Leslie
We have also been busy trying to save our house, raise our kids and launch our new book. Our new website just went live:Makelovewheneverpossible.com
Sometimes life really is intense. But I think I am exiting the fog. I find myself whistling again and enjoying the little things. Music. My kids. My husband. I still miss my Mom and now my Stepmom, but I've decided they are both standing right beside me as I continue my journey this lifetime as a wife, Mom, teacher, writer.
So..here goes..my April Oprah pick and finally a new post! So our new Oprah pick is, yes, another Memoir! " Falling Apart in One Piece" by Stacy Morrison. The Redbook editor in chief chronicles her own divorce and arrives at some wise conclusions.
Since the book I just wrote with my best friend chronicles our fight to stay married amidst the craziness of raising kids I think it will be good for me to read about what did not work and how this very accomplished career woman has handled all that.
Let's keep reading. Writing. Staying Creative--despite all obstacles!
take care all, Leslie
Monday, March 15, 2010
We are still reading "A Mountain of Crumbs" By Elena Gorokova
Hello dear friends. I am so sorry it has been so long since I have posted. I have been sick for a few weeks and am finally feeling better. So we are still reading" A Mountain of Crumbs" by Elena Gorokhova.
On page 267 Elena writes about her fears related to marrying an American and moving to Texas. She wonders if she will be allowed to leave her country and if her life will really be able to handle this dramatic change. " Am I really going to marry an American and move to Texas? I feel as I did when I was eleven, standing on a diving board just before they kicked me out of the district pool for my lack of swimming ability."
Wondering if she would marry and move consumed her at this point in her memoir. In the Soviet Union she always read that most Americans are begging on the streets and if she moved there she might end up living under a bridge. But she did not believe that. But she really knew nothing of life in America. She was scared--as we all are when we are making major changes.
She wondered if Robert would really go through with marrying a Soviet citizen. We have about thirty pages to go to find out.
Stay creative dear friends...I will post again later this week.
Take care, Leslie
On page 267 Elena writes about her fears related to marrying an American and moving to Texas. She wonders if she will be allowed to leave her country and if her life will really be able to handle this dramatic change. " Am I really going to marry an American and move to Texas? I feel as I did when I was eleven, standing on a diving board just before they kicked me out of the district pool for my lack of swimming ability."
Wondering if she would marry and move consumed her at this point in her memoir. In the Soviet Union she always read that most Americans are begging on the streets and if she moved there she might end up living under a bridge. But she did not believe that. But she really knew nothing of life in America. She was scared--as we all are when we are making major changes.
She wondered if Robert would really go through with marrying a Soviet citizen. We have about thirty pages to go to find out.
Stay creative dear friends...I will post again later this week.
Take care, Leslie
Monday, February 15, 2010
A Mountain Of Crumbs by Elena Gorokhova reminds us of family ties
Hi, our new Oprah pick, "A Mountain Of Crumbs" by Elena Gorokhova is a Memoir that defines how family shapes us forever.
The author shares fifteen great family photographs on page 215 that really help us see how her upbringing in Russia shaped her life. Though her life was in some ways harsh, cold and barren of any luxuries she was filled with treasures of the heart.
The author portrays how the love of her mother helped her develop confidence even in the middle of a confining Communist regime that limited so many aspects of Elena's life.
As I begin this Memoir I am reminded of my own family history and how regardless of my intense problems as a child It was always the love of my parents and other relatives that granted me inner strength too.
Let's be inspired by this new Oprah pick, I'll blog again soon, Take care everyone and stay inspired, Leslie
The author shares fifteen great family photographs on page 215 that really help us see how her upbringing in Russia shaped her life. Though her life was in some ways harsh, cold and barren of any luxuries she was filled with treasures of the heart.
The author portrays how the love of her mother helped her develop confidence even in the middle of a confining Communist regime that limited so many aspects of Elena's life.
As I begin this Memoir I am reminded of my own family history and how regardless of my intense problems as a child It was always the love of my parents and other relatives that granted me inner strength too.
Let's be inspired by this new Oprah pick, I'll blog again soon, Take care everyone and stay inspired, Leslie
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Our new Oprah pick for February-A mountain of crumbs by Elena Gorokhova
I just came back from the bookstore with our new February Oprah pick, "A Mountain of Crumbs" by Elena Gorokova. I still love the feel of a new hardback in my hands. I don't know what it is, but I think it might be the potential inspiration yet another writer will impart upon me.
On the cover jacket there's a quote by Billy Collins, the former U.S. Poet Laureate. " ...Gorokhova has written the Russian equivalent of "Angela's Ashes", an intimate story of growing up into young womanhood told with grace and humor." Well, it never hurts a writer to have our former National Poet Laureate praise the writing.
Although Elena grew up in St. Petersburg Russia, most of her life it was know as Leningrad, at the age of 24 she married an American and now lives--where else? New Jersey. A far cry from Russia, but if it's anything like the New Jersey I recall from my days living on the East Coast--there are a lot of people there with ancestors from Russia.
All of my relatives are from Russia. The older parts. Lithuania. So this should be an interesting read for me. The author dedicated her Memoir to her mother and I m planning to dedicate mine to my Mom too who recently passed away. OK here is a teaser: I love one of her opening lines on page 1.
"Born three years before Russia turned into the Soviet Union, my mother became a mirror image of my motherland:overbearing, protective, difficult to leave...She presided in our kitchen over a pot of borsch, a ladle in her hand, ordering us to eat in the same voice that made her anatomy students quiver. A survivor of the famine, Stalin's terror, and the Great Patriotic War, she controlled and protected,ferociously.
Let's read or if you can't get the book-feel free to comment on the blog anyway. Anyway, let's get inspired to be creative.
On the cover jacket there's a quote by Billy Collins, the former U.S. Poet Laureate. " ...Gorokhova has written the Russian equivalent of "Angela's Ashes", an intimate story of growing up into young womanhood told with grace and humor." Well, it never hurts a writer to have our former National Poet Laureate praise the writing.
Although Elena grew up in St. Petersburg Russia, most of her life it was know as Leningrad, at the age of 24 she married an American and now lives--where else? New Jersey. A far cry from Russia, but if it's anything like the New Jersey I recall from my days living on the East Coast--there are a lot of people there with ancestors from Russia.
All of my relatives are from Russia. The older parts. Lithuania. So this should be an interesting read for me. The author dedicated her Memoir to her mother and I m planning to dedicate mine to my Mom too who recently passed away. OK here is a teaser: I love one of her opening lines on page 1.
"Born three years before Russia turned into the Soviet Union, my mother became a mirror image of my motherland:overbearing, protective, difficult to leave...She presided in our kitchen over a pot of borsch, a ladle in her hand, ordering us to eat in the same voice that made her anatomy students quiver. A survivor of the famine, Stalin's terror, and the Great Patriotic War, she controlled and protected,ferociously.
Let's read or if you can't get the book-feel free to comment on the blog anyway. Anyway, let's get inspired to be creative.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Oprah's pick portrays true acceptance of a mate
This is the last blog for " Committed" as we are on to our February pick!
But before unveiling the new find I should say that Gilbert skillfully unveiled the art of accepting your partner as they are. She relayed well that part of true love is simply acceptance.
On page 131 she wrote, " Maybe creating a big enough space within your consciousness to hold and accept someone's contradictions-someone's idiocies, even-is a kind of divine act. Perhaps transcendence can be found not only on solitary mountaintops or in monastic settings, but also at your own kitchen table, in the daily acceptance of your partner's most tiresome, irritating faults." As I enter my 23rd year of married life I find this sentiment all too true. I must love him warts and all as he accepts me warts and all.
Well...The February Oprah magazine highlights our new pick and it looks like a great memoir. The title is "Mountain of Crumbs" by Elena Gorokhova. In this work the author describes growing up in Russia in the 1960s. The former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins says Elena has written the "Russian equivalent of "Angela's Ashes" And J.M. Coetzee, the 2003 Nobel Prize winner in literature calls her memoir , " An enthralling read"
Since I am writing a memoir and all of my relatives are from Russia this work peaks my interest. I think it will be valuable to read about the common threads that stretch across culture and continents. I will be blogging in the next few days about this new book and hope to read your comments as we inspire each other to be creative and create yet again.
take care, Leslie
But before unveiling the new find I should say that Gilbert skillfully unveiled the art of accepting your partner as they are. She relayed well that part of true love is simply acceptance.
On page 131 she wrote, " Maybe creating a big enough space within your consciousness to hold and accept someone's contradictions-someone's idiocies, even-is a kind of divine act. Perhaps transcendence can be found not only on solitary mountaintops or in monastic settings, but also at your own kitchen table, in the daily acceptance of your partner's most tiresome, irritating faults." As I enter my 23rd year of married life I find this sentiment all too true. I must love him warts and all as he accepts me warts and all.
Well...The February Oprah magazine highlights our new pick and it looks like a great memoir. The title is "Mountain of Crumbs" by Elena Gorokhova. In this work the author describes growing up in Russia in the 1960s. The former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins says Elena has written the "Russian equivalent of "Angela's Ashes" And J.M. Coetzee, the 2003 Nobel Prize winner in literature calls her memoir , " An enthralling read"
Since I am writing a memoir and all of my relatives are from Russia this work peaks my interest. I think it will be valuable to read about the common threads that stretch across culture and continents. I will be blogging in the next few days about this new book and hope to read your comments as we inspire each other to be creative and create yet again.
take care, Leslie
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Oprah's pick portrays unconditional love
What I like about Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir "Committed" is how it upholds the value of unconditional love. The notion that we are all flawed but all we want really is to be loved without conditions. It's never about the stuff in a marriage it's always about the substance. Is there romance? Is there passion? Is there respect? Is there kindness? Is there compassion, caring and constant effort? Is there affectionate touching? Does he or she love me no matter what? Is there one place in this life, on this planet where we are loved for just who we are as we are, warts and all? To me, this is what true love and true commitment are all about. And I think Gilbert gets this.
Gilbert points out on page 123 that according to the Rutgers study, other factors of marital resilience include:Education, children,cohabitation, heterogamy, social integration, religiousness, and gender fairness. If you have the book I advise you to sift through the findings of this study--very interesting. But what's even more noteworthy is what Felipe said to Elizabeth when she asks him on page 128 how he knows he really loves her.
Felipe talks about his gem stone business and then he goes on to say, " It's the same with relationships, I think. People always fall in love with the most perfect aspects of each other's personalities. Who wouldn't? Anybody can love the most wonderful part of another person. But that's not the clever trick. The really clever trick is this: Can you accept the flaws? Can you look at your partner's faults honestly and say, 'I can work around that. I can make something out of that.'? Because the good stuff is always going to be there, and it's always going to be pretty and sparkly, but the crap underneath can ruin you." And then Gilbert says, " Are you saying that you are clever enough to work around my worthless junky, crappy bits?" And then Felipe says, "...I can accept the whole parcel."
After 22 years of marriage I think Felipe hits the mark. We are all beautiful and we are all flawed--the deal is can we love that beauty and those flaws of the partner we are with--that's clever allright and wise. I love the famous chinese proverb which says, "Before marriage have both eyes wide open, after, close one." Or the Buddhist saying, " Focus on his or her strengths not the weaknesses or there will be no end to the weaknesses.
Ah, yes, commitment really requires our own commitment to loving unconditionally doesn't it? Any thoughts, Keep creating guys, love, Leslie
Gilbert points out on page 123 that according to the Rutgers study, other factors of marital resilience include:Education, children,cohabitation, heterogamy, social integration, religiousness, and gender fairness. If you have the book I advise you to sift through the findings of this study--very interesting. But what's even more noteworthy is what Felipe said to Elizabeth when she asks him on page 128 how he knows he really loves her.
Felipe talks about his gem stone business and then he goes on to say, " It's the same with relationships, I think. People always fall in love with the most perfect aspects of each other's personalities. Who wouldn't? Anybody can love the most wonderful part of another person. But that's not the clever trick. The really clever trick is this: Can you accept the flaws? Can you look at your partner's faults honestly and say, 'I can work around that. I can make something out of that.'? Because the good stuff is always going to be there, and it's always going to be pretty and sparkly, but the crap underneath can ruin you." And then Gilbert says, " Are you saying that you are clever enough to work around my worthless junky, crappy bits?" And then Felipe says, "...I can accept the whole parcel."
After 22 years of marriage I think Felipe hits the mark. We are all beautiful and we are all flawed--the deal is can we love that beauty and those flaws of the partner we are with--that's clever allright and wise. I love the famous chinese proverb which says, "Before marriage have both eyes wide open, after, close one." Or the Buddhist saying, " Focus on his or her strengths not the weaknesses or there will be no end to the weaknesses.
Ah, yes, commitment really requires our own commitment to loving unconditionally doesn't it? Any thoughts, Keep creating guys, love, Leslie
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