Strengthening Your Family

I just finished reading the book Strengthening Your Family: A Catholic Approach to Holiness at Home by Marge Fenelon.   Although I truly enjoyed the book, I must admit to a few small things.  First, before I had the chance to pick the book up and actually read it, the poor book was left on the kitchen counter.  And suffered a fate many books suffer in this house if left on the kitchen counter.  Yup, a nameless child knocked a drink over, decided to walk away from the mess rather than clean it up, and my poor book suffered some major water damage. Second, most of this book was read while I was attempting to escape from my wonderful family by soaking in the tub because they were causing me much, much stress.  Sigh.  Then again, perhaps these are all reasons why I NEEDED to read this book because it seems obvious that some sort of something is missing in the way things run around here lately.

 Marge Fenelon's latest book is full of short, simple tricks and ideas for bringing holiness to your home.  It's not about raising perfect children or having the idealistic family.  It's about starting where you are and setting realistic goals for your family.  This book helps teach you how to guide your children and family to more accurately reflect a truly authentic Catholic life.

Each chapter in this book closes with a relevant prayer and a selection of questions to help you pinpoint the areas that your family might need to focus on changing.  By staying short and to the point, each chapter allows you to focus on small changes instead of asking you to consider larger changes which are less likely to take hold.  This book will provide you with a healthy dose of inspiration to help you on your goal to finding happiness in your home.  It left me feeling as if the chaotic mess of family life is not meant to drive us insane, but rather to help each of us become the person God intends us to be. 

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Strengthening Your Family. They are also a great source for a Catechism of the Catholic Church or a Catholic Bible.