"Live Love Now" One of the Most Successful Books I've Ever Read

How do you measure a successful life? Ralph Waldo Emerson once defined it this way: “To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, this is to have succeeded.” Could the success of a book be measured the same way? Yes, it can.  Inside the summer-sky-blue cover of “Live, Love, Now” lies a safe haven for parents, grandparents, and anyone who loves a child.  Think for a moment about the precious children who are within your sphere of influence. What do you want most for them?  Do you want them to savor and experience their one precious life to the fullest? Do you want them to love and be loved, and use their unique gifts to bless the world? Do you want them to live fully present, knowing with assurance that who they are today matters more than they were yesterday? Then “Live Love Now” is the book for you.

           

The idea for “Live Love Now” was born out of an inspired exercise Rachel did when she gave a speech to a middle school audience.  She gave them all index cards and then asked this question, “If you could give your parents or the world one message, what would it be?” The answers came…and they changed her world.  Thanks be to God for that divinely inspired question and for this woman who decided she wanted to listen, really listen, and then lend her own unique voice to be an advocate.   Through her classic storytelling of real life examples, soul-searching reflective questions, and examples of index-card messages, Rachel inspires us as she talks about topics such as phone and social media usage, grades and self-esteem, mental health, and unconditional love.  She uses her background as a special needs teacher, an author and motivational speaker.  But at the heart of it all, she is the parent of two teenagers; who just like the rest of us, is doing the best she can, learning from her mistakes, and trying to be a little bit better today than yesterday, as she inspires her children to live, to love, and to be present in the here and now.

            

 “Let nothing distract us from doing the most wonderful thing are here to do—live.” 

             

“No matter what mistakes you make today, tomorrow, or throughout your life, I will always love you.  I will never turn my back on you.  We can get through anything together.”  

“Don’t get ahead of yourself—stay right here.  Don’t get lost in the past—stay right here.  Love in the moment.  This is where life is.”

           
 Beautiful words aren’t they? They have a way of helping you inspired, anchored and comforted. As you read and let Rachel’s words absorb into your heart and mind, don’t be surprised if before too long you discover soul-building words and phrases coming forth in your own voice, inspiring, anchoring and comforting your own people.  Don’t be surprised if old wounds of the heart find a soothing balm in the pages.  Don’t be surprised if while you read about how to strengthen children against an inner bully, you find your own inner bully losing its power.  I’m not the same person I was after reading this book and after years of savoring Rachel’s blog, and her books, I know perfectly well the reason why.  It is because to choose to read Rachel Macy Stafford’s words is to choose to let your heart blossom and change for the better.  I invite you to read “Live Love Now” and discover for yourself.  Again, don’t be surprised if you find yourself letting go of “successful” expectations you had for you and your children.  After all, “to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, this is to have succeeded.” Wouldn’t it be wonderful if it could be the people we love the most?