Today I received a lovely review on Amazon from a thrice-published British author. I’m humbled . . . and yes, I’m going to say it, gobsmacked.
Here’s what Sue Russell (writing as S. L. Russell) had to say about BlessBack:
‘BlessBack’contains a beautiful idea: that of thinking back over one’s life and thanking in a very positive way those who have had some good influence on us or done us a kindness. “Be causal,” Julie Saffrin says. Our actions can have a ripple effect beyond our expectations.
The idea of happiness coming from a sense of connectedness, compassion, a desire to improve the world we find, is not in itself new, but Ms Saffrin’s examples bring home its reality. The Waxdahls and their farming friends; the French people who hid and nurtured refugees during World War 2, at their own great risk; Fred Hargesheimer whose own life was blessed as he blessed the lives of others – these stories, and many others, are genuinely inspiring.
Ms Saffrin is a realist. Not everyone appreciates gratitude, not everyone will remember you. Many people dislike feeling indebted. Nevertheless, “Living a gratitude-filled life is an acknowledgement of debt and an expression of humility…”
Julie Saffrin discusses ways of appreciating those who cannot understand or communicate, and even those who have died or who cannot be found. At the end of the book, encouraging the reader to participate personally, she adds an appendix with copious and inventive ideas for BlessBacks.
`BlessBack’ is well-written and eminently readable, and I have no hesitation in recommending it. What comes across most of all is the author’s commitment to the spreading and sharing of goodness, and the celebration of the benign influence we can all have on the lives of our fellow human beings.
About Julie Saffrin
Julie Saffrin is the author of numerous published articles and essays. Her latest book, BlessBack: Thank Those Who Shaped Your Life, explores the power of gratitude and offers 120 creative ways to journey toward positive, lasting change.
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