I could not believe this book was offered as part of The Catholic Company's reviewer program. What luck for me! I read much that both authors write and was hoping to read this book.
The book provides a very small devotional for each day of the year. On each page (one per day), the authors encourage us to Think with a short quotation from Scripture or a saint, Pray with a brief prayer they've written with mothers in mind and Act with a suggestion for putting the day's thought into action.
To review the book, I only read through two months completely (June and September) as I plan to incorporate them into a daily devotional time (with help from A Mother's Rule of Life). Overall, I was impressed with the selections for the quotations. In keeping with the goal of the book, they focus on how even the smallest things in life lead us closer to God and build our relationships with each other and within families. I also liked the diversity of suggestions under Act. Some of them are very small little chores or sacrifices for a single day while others involve the entire family and a more extended effort (to eradicate a bad habit over the course of a month, for example).
One of my favorite aspects of this book is the concentration of each month on a different virtue: Joy, Simplicity, Sacrifice, Courage, Grace, Gentleness, Humility, Charity, Diligence, Patience, Gratitude and Peace. Within the month, each quote, prayer and action is focused on the selected virtue. It would be very easy to select a virtue and read that month's devotions no matter the real calendar month.
Some of the actions may need to be modified if you are not primarily responsible for the children and home, but most of them would be appropriate for any Catholic mother. I even think many of the devotions could be appreciated by non-Catholic mothers.
If you are feeling a little overwhelmed by finding time to spend with God, this book could be the perfect way to get started. The daily devotions are brief but meaningful for mothers. They are, after all, "small steps." It's also helpful to have a suggested way to bring the fruit of a devotional directly into our daily chores and relationships.
This review was written as part of The Catholic Company product reviewer program. I have not received any payment for this review, but I did receive a free copy of the book Small Steps for Catholic Moms. Learn more about joining the reviewer program here.
