Quietly Moved by Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist

Tonight as we flew home, away from family and friends, but towards the comfort of our new little nest, I read a jewel of a book of essays, a collection of stories by Shauna Niequist called Bittersweet. In between fruitlessly trying to keep Jack and Juliette moderately calm on one of those endless flights with long delays at both take-off and landing, I read, soaking up Niequist's simple wisdom and beautiful memories. She spoke to me, and I felt more serene with each page.

The book's purpose is to inspire readers to embrace the bittersweet aspects of life, to realize that good comes out of change and challenges. She explains, "Bittersweet is the idea that in all things there is both something broken and something beautiful, that there is a sliver of lightness on even the darkest of nights, a shadow of hope in every heartbreak, and that rejoicing is no less rich when it contains a splinter of sadness." 

Many of the essays touch upon Niequist's faith, a quiet spirituality, but not surprisingly, the pieces that moved me the most were the ones about food. She speaks a lot about her love of entertaining, bringing loved ones around her table, her scarred red table, and to demonstrate that love by feeding them. In an essay entitled, Feeding and Being Fed, she says, "There's something about seeing your house filled with people you love, something about feeding people, especially on days when it seems like you can't make a dent in any of the larger, more theoretical challenges in life." When I read that paragraph I remembered my deep sense of contentment last week gathering new friends around us for an impromptu dinner, how happy I was to fill the house with laughter and pile food on our tables, forgetting the to do lists, and just living in the moment.

With every chapter, Niequist celebrates those types of moments, the last minute parties, the weekly dinners, and even her son's favorite dishes. "I remember days and places by remembering meals and smells and tastes, especially meals I've cooked, not because they've been the best meals, by any means, but because they've been the ones that my hands and my senses remember, cilantro coming to life as I slice through it, avocados and jalapenos and lime becoming more than the sum of their parts under the back of  a spoon."Her writing invites her readers to behold the little details of her life through a warm, spiritual lens. And you'll find yourself, as I did, looking around at the objects and events in your life with a different eye after setting Bittersweet down.

I plan on keeping Bittersweet within reach, just to read a few pages every few days, and remind myself to take stock of all that is in my life, from the meals I bring to life with my chopping and mixing, to the sweet hugs I share with my kids at bedtime. I'm sure Bittersweet will even inspire my writing in the months to come, acting as an invitation to look at the inanimate objects in my life and write about what they mean to me. It's a lovely book, and I think you too will be moved by it, wanting to go back to it in little bites, like you sneak little chunks of that fancy bittersweet chocolate from the pantry.

GIVEAWAY
I have three copies of Bittersweet to giveaway today so you too can experience it and keep it in your lives beyond the library return date. To enter to win, please leave me a comment about a book that moved you before Friday, September 24. I'll select the three winners at random that night.


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