Written by Denise Turney
I enjoyed this book so much I gave it to my sister today as part of a birthday-gift package. Rhythm of Life, authored by Matthew Kelly, speaks directly to the sense of hurry that threatens to creep into many of our lives, if it’s not already there setting us on a cycle called spin that seems to have no end. Having connected with millions of people during talks and seminars he has given over the last ten years, the author gained firsthand experience to the topics discussed in Rhythm of Life. As he shares in the book’s opening, he met the world’s standard of phenomenal success. He was wealthy, healthy, focused, aware of his talents and gifts, and known to other worldly successful people around the globe. His writing and speaking successes found the demands for his time pressing. Large businesses, talk shows, and other organizations wanted him to share his knowledge at their upcoming events. He found it hard to say no. In time he was breaking. His life asked that he allow it to heal.
Time he spent in bed increased, but he felt increasingly fatigued. His health was failing. He was losing his zest for life. Yet the world remained enamored with him. He was in his early- twenties and had already gained access to nuggets of wisdom many take fifty or more years to obtain. After a few weeks of struggling to “keep up”, he silenced the loud calls for him to appear at another event, write another bestselling book, etc. In tune with what he researched, wrote and shared with his audiences during speaking engagements, he went in search of an answer, a key from life that would gain him balance. His search led him to the simplest but often overlooked forms, signs of God’s love that surround us everywhere we go: nature, a bird’s call, an unexpected visit from a friend, a song crossing your path just when you needed to hear its message . . .
Rather than take his lessons and tuck them within, Matthew Kelly chose to share the wisdom that came to him in response to the question he sent out to God. His vehicle for this sharing is Rhythm of Life. It’s a book anyone struggling to balance the demands they choose to place upon their daily schedule, will benefit from reading. The writing is to-the-point, clear, and easy to understand. One of the things I enjoyed most about Rhythm of Life is how Matthew Kelly provides his readers with insights he gained and tools that worked for him and others. He does this without preaching or telling his readers what they ought to do in their personal lives to gain peace and balance.
Rhythm of Life is a book of sharing. It is a book that may cause its readers to wonder what our world would be like if each of us shared our experiences, what has and what hasn’t worked for us, without demanding that our listeners follow the same course we did. I thoroughly enjoyed Rhythm of Life and the fearlessness with which it is written and shared.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Denise would love to hear from you! Read a good book? Enjoyed one of the books reviewed in this column? Contact TNCP’s book review columnist @ soulfar@aol.com
