A dear friend gave me an amazing gift for Christmas ... the gift of friendship along with a very inspiring and encouraging book -- "The Ultimate Gift" by Jim Stovall. I then passed a copy on to another dear friend (in fact Books A Million was sold out when I tried to make the purchase).
There is SO much to be taken from this incredible book. I want to share with you a short excerpt that I enjoyed reading and plan to use in my parenting role.
"Unfortunately, human beings cannot live in a vacuum forever. A bird must struggle in order to emerge from the eggshell. A well-meaning person might crack open the egg, releasing the baby bird. This person might walk away feeling as though he has done the bird a wonderful service when, in fact, he has left the bird in a weakened condition and unable to deal with its environment. Instead of helping the bird, the person has, in fact, detroyed it. It is only a matter of time until something in the bird's environment attacks it, and the bird has no ability to deal with what otherwise would be a manageable problem.
If we are not allowed to deal with small problems, we will be destoyed by slightly larger ones. When we come to understand this fact, we live our lives not avoiding problems, but welcoming them as challenges that will strengthen us so that we can be victorious in the future."
If you have shared in the journey of "The Ultimate Gift" I welcome any and all comments and thoughts. I truly believe to be a better, more fulfilled person as I begin in this new year of 2011 because of this gift from a very special friend.
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I love this book! Glad you found it to hold some meaningful truths like I did.
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