The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother's Memoir [Paperback]

The Gift of an Ordinary Dayis an intimate memoir of a family in transition-boys becoming teenagers, careers ending and new ones opening up, an attempt to find a deeper sense of place, and a slower pace, in a smallNew Englandtown. It is a story of mid-life longings and discoveries, of lessons learned in the search for home and a new sense of purpose, and the bittersweet intensity of life with teenagers--holding on, letting go.

Poised on the threshold between family life as she's always known it and her older son's departure for college, Kenison is surprised to find that the times she treasures most are the ordinary, unremarkable moments of everyday life, the very moments that she once took for granted, or rushed right through without noticing at all.

The relationships, hopes, and dreams that Kenison illuminates will touch women's hearts, and her words will inspire mothers everywhere as they try to make peace with the inevitable changes in store.

*Includes reading group guide*
Katrina Kenison is the author ofMitten Strings for God: Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry(Warner Books, 2000). She has appeared on Oprah and other shows. Her writing has appeared inO,Real Simple,Family Circle,Redbookand other publications. From 1990 until 2006, Kenison was the series editor ofThe Best American Short Stories, published annually by Houghton Mifflin. She co-edited, with John Updike,The Best American Short Stories of the Century(Houghton Mifflin, 2000). She wrote, with Rolf Gates,Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga(Random House, 2002).This eloquent book is ...about longing and fulfillment , taking stock of failures and achievements, a search for the elusive something more of one's existence-and a reminder that life's seemingly mundane moments are often where we find beauty, grace and transformation.Family Circl3+