Description:
We may imagine that a life spent in contemplative prayer or living in a monastery are sure-fire paths to spiritual enlightenment. But according to his book Faith in the Family, Dale Salwak (Wonders of Solitude, The Power of Prayer) believes one of the most effective spiritual practices available is caring for and protecting the strength of your family. "The family is both a looking glass and a pillar, giving us at once the best chance to see ourselves clearly and to receive love and affirmation we need to survive in a dangerous world," Salwak explains. "Strength in the family leads to strength in the spirit, and a strong spirit engenders a strong family. The two cannot be disconnected without injury to both." Salwak is not a pie-in-the-sky orator looking for a return to the family values of a bygone era. Nor is he a right-wing zealot blaming liberal lifestyles for destroying the sanctity of family. Instead, he is more likely to wag his finger at rampant consumerism that turns parents into working slaves. Or at the obsession with electronic stimulation--such as video games and television--that entertain rather than enrich children. ("Many children spend more time with television than with their fathers," he writes.) Or a at culture that has little respect or resources for the care of elderly family members. "For many of us, the demand of taking care of our elders is the first real test of character." Most of the time, Salwak writes like a kindly godfather who sits at your kitchen table amidst all the dust bunnies, homework papers, soccer gear, macaroni dinners, ailing grandparents, and parental fatigue and passes no judgment. He doesn't offer much specific advice. Instead, he tells a story about his sister-in-law Betty who discovered her brother was gay only when he was dying of AIDS, and the courage it took from both siblings to overcome the distance between them. Or he'll tell about the time that his father built him a bookcase and how seen and treasured he felt. Or he'll quote a local rabbi, Robert Coles, Carl Jung, or Maya Angelou and suddenly all your household priorities fall into place like a deck of freshly shuffled cards. For families who are seeking their true north, Faith in the Family is a compass well worth investing in. --Gail Hudson
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