When Jennifer Jones Smith approached me about reviewing her book 12 Weeks to Greater Peace, Joy & Love in Your Family on my blog, I was excited to read it. Who couldn’t use more of love, peace and joy in their most important relationships?
There were several things I enjoyed about this book. Jennifer Jones Smith is sincere and passionate about families. Her words feel like a labor of love, the compilation of years of experience as a wife, mother, and friend who knows what it takes to make home more heavenly. The book has a striking religious component to it, which I was not expecting, but which I identify with because belief in God is such a strong part of my family experience.
I really appreciated her focus on self-compassion and empathy and how we need to love ourselves and learn how to act in spite of fear in order to build our families. She cautions against comparing ourselves to others and encourages compassion to be turned outward as well.
Many of my favorite quotes from various religious and other leaders and speakers were spread throughout the book, providing an added layer of perspective that I enjoyed.
I have yet to try the 12 weekly assignments that she suggests at the end of each chapter but several of them rang true to me as exercises that would bring greater peace and joy into my home.
One thing that intrigued me about the book when she first contacted me was that Jennifer is an Energy Healing Practitioner, a profession that fascinates me and about which I would like to learn more. Alas, the book is less about energy work and more about common sense practical ways to improve the feeling in your home and the connections within your family. Energy work is mentioned and a few of the exercises focus on energy manipulation, but I still feel like I need to do quite a bit more research to understand the basics of this form of healing.
With the launch of her book this week, Jennifer Jones Smith has provided a link to bonus content for readers who purchase the book February 5th on its launch day. Here is the link. Enjoy!