My oldest daughter (she's 14) is graduating from 8th grade in a couple of weeks, but I'm having trouble organizing my thoughts - more than usual, I mean:
- Mini-me (she's my youngest) is turning 7 on Father's Day weekend.
- The Boy (he's 9) is moving to a new school and his promotion into the 4th grade is that same week.
- Thing Two still hasn't had her sleepover, yet - her birthday was in December!
- Oh, and...OMG!...I can hardly believe that my baby is going into high school, next year!
I mean, there's some really important stuff going on around here - the kind where people take pictures that end up in year books and such - but, what words of wisdom can I give my children, when I don't even know what do you want to be when I grow up?!?
I hate being SO indecisive.
However, in reviewing Maria Shriver's new book, "Just Who Will You Be?" I was half-expecting a laundry list of brilliant recommendations, coming from an award-winning journalist, author of five bestselling books and niece of a former president of the United States.
I mean - she's a Kennedy for goodness sake - all she has to do is take one look in the mirror and see her awesomely powerful features to know, yep, the strength is in her genes.
Still.
I was very surprised to learn that the First Lady of California and it seems that we ARE related, by confusion:
"In her own life, Shriver always walked down her own distinctive path, achieving her childhood goal of becoming award-winning network newswoman Maria Shriver. But when her husband was elected California's Governor and she suddenly had to leave her job at NBC News, Shriver was thrown for a loop."
Yes, a lot of women (and men) have been forced to make a choice between career and family - some of us do it every day, in fact - but, this book is about a very famous and successful woman and how even she went into a tailspin of doubt, questioning the direction her life should take:
"Just like that my career was gone, and with it went the person I'd been for twenty-five years."
Right about then, her nephew asked her to speak at his high school graduation. She resisted, wondering how she could possibly give advice to kids, when she was feeling so lost herself. But in the end she relented and decided to dig down and dig deep. Ms. Shriver looked hard at her own situation and at how to deal with life's transitions. These topics became the subject of her speech—and ultimately of her new book.
Ms. Shriver's message is simple - we are all works in progress.
"Just Who Will You Be?"
It's a big question, inside a little book and one that will make a terrific graduation present for my 14-year-old...AND Mommy!
Click here for an audio excerpt!
FIND IT HERE: Amazon.com BarnesandNoble.com Booksense.com Borders.com
WIN IT HERE: This Full House Giveaway #6 - Just leave a comment on this post by midnight on Sunday, June 1st and you ARE automatically entered to WIN IT!
HEY, you (yes, YOU!) are you a blogger? Excellent! Blog about this contest and get THREE chances to win! Check out the instructions to see how.
Good luck and here's hoping we ALL remain...unfinished!
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[6/2/08 Edited to add: WE HAVE A WINNER - Congratulations to Jess, blogging at It's My Life Laugh If You Must!]
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