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Overview
In A Time to Seek, Susan Pohlman invites the reader on a spiritual journey through Florence, Italy, then westward along the coast of the Italian Riviera, and, finally, to Rome. As the journey through Italy unfolds, Pohlman shares how travel moments can be used as opportunities for contemplation and spiritual growth. Various settings stir feelings and issues that speak to the concerns and hidden fears of everyday women providing comfort and assurance to the reader that she is not alone. A climb to the top of the Duomo in Florence inspires a discussion on faith, the expansive view from the Piazza di Michelangelo broadens perspective, helping her daughter settle into an apartment for a semester abroad raises fears about letting go, and trips on the train become metaphors for life's journeys. A return to the beautiful coastal village of Nervi, the setting of her first book, Halfway to Each Other, prompts deeper introspection about love, marriage and the passing of time. And finally, an evening tour of St. Peter's Basilica provides the insight to take all of the trip's lessons and make sense of them in a way that brings peace and a sense of excitement for the next chapter of life.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781734613230 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Riviera Communications Group |
| Publication date: | 09/28/2020 |
| Pages: | 232 |
| Sales rank: | 1,097,813 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.53(d) |
About the Author
She is the author of Halfway to Each Other: How a Year in Italy Brought our Family Home (Guideposts 2009) It was the winner of the Relationships category and a finalist in the Memoir category in the 2010 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. It was shortlisted for the 2010 Inspy Awards and has been published in German and Russian.
Susan's work has also been featured in Dream of Venice by JoAnn Locktov (Bella Figura Publications, 2014) and Writing & Selling Short Stories & Personal Essays: The Essential Guide to Getting Your Work Published by Windy Lynn Harris (Writer's Digest Books, September 2017).
Table of Contents
Preface
It sneaked up on me-a few extra pounds, an unflattering reflection in a store window, a teen who called me "ma'am" and offered me his seat on the bus. One day I looked around, and it dawned on me that other people were seeing me differently.
It was not my best day.
Midlife begins quietly; there is no celebratory rite of passage or ritual to mark its onset. Our culture does not greet it with high-fives or open arms or recognition for a half century well done. Instead we receive birthday cards that tell us we are over the hill. So, we do our best to deny our aging for as long as possible which only prolongs our ability to make peace with it.
We are often left to figure out this complicated transition by ourselves. For many of us, it can be a lonely and confusing time as long buried or newfound yearnings claw their way into our consciousness, often disturbing carefully constructed lives. We turn to books and medical professionals for information; friends, husbands, and significant others for comfort; the privacy of a personal journal to make sense of our changing bodies and evolving roles. And we pray a lot.
Transition, however, doesn't have to be a crisis. It can be interesting, exciting, and rejuvenating-a time of renewal. I have learned to recognize the unquenchable yearnings and wobbly footing during midlife for what they are: actual graces. Divine nudges. God calling us to a deeper understanding of ourselves and the many purposes of our lives. Whether we are ready or not, we enter new phases of life as we age and, sometimes, we need to gift ourselves with time to ponder life's great questions in order to find clarity to move forward in a meaningful way though our next chapter. At this time of our lives, God calls us to seek.
When I found myself restless and unsettled as I turned fifty, I decided to use travel to work through the transitional themes of grief, surrender, love, faith, letting go, and acceptance. Travel is a magical way to seek, and adventure is a powerful and compelling teacher. The outer journey stimulates the inner journey. When we slip out of our cultural constraints and experience our great world in new ways, we find ourselves opening to possibility, imagining a life of greater meaning, and seeing our lives from a new perspective. When we travel with prayerful intention, we discover things about ourselves that might otherwise continue to lie hidden. The varying landscapes, the people we meet along the way, and the flavors and textures we find before us are riddled with lessons. God speaks to the soul in serendipitous moments.
Whether defined by a weekend at the beach or a trip around the world, travel grants us much needed emotional breathing room to pray and listen; it grants us space to address our spiritual needs. It is my hope that by sharing these experiences with you that you might set off on a pilgrimage of your own.
This book was inspired by a journey that I took to Italy with my daughter, Katie. The trip was an unexpected gift from my husband to help her get settled into a semester abroad program.
When I landed in Italy, I let go of all preconceived notions about midlife and motherhood and prayed for the divine to inspire and enlighten me on this pilgrimage of sorts-to lead me to a deeper sense of myself in this stage of life.
I invite you to pack your bags and journey with me~