Conversations With a Moonflower Product Review - Cedar Fort

Conversations with a Moonflower, by Christine Hall; Cedar Fort.  Cover of 2011 Spring Books & Things Catalog.

Do you every feel that your life is so busy doing good things that you don't take time to stop and smell the roses? Have you ever watched a moonflower bloom? My life is like that a lot of the time and it was very easy for me to connect with Chris Hall in Conversations with a Moonflower -- And she is probably a lot like you, too!  It’s a very quick read which I really enjoyed - enough that I’ve already read it twice and I’m sure will read again. 

Chris takes you with her on a journey of discovering how to slow down life's hectic pace and create a "gathering place" to reconnect with family and friends - a quite place to ponder, listen to the spirit inside you and remember truths you knew from long, long ago - all from watching a moonflower bloom.

Join Chris as she goes to clean out her grandmother's house in Cattaraugus County, New York and is introduced to her moonflower by Marissa Yoder, an Amish woman who knows how to keep life simple.  The Yoder family lived near by and helped her grandmother for many years and offered support to Chris and her family on this last farewell to the old family homestead.  

 

After watching the moonflower bloom for the first time, Chris was totally taken aback – “What on earth just happened to me? It’s a plant for heaven’s sake! With the exception of the bright yellow blooms, it looked more like a weed than anything you would purposely put in a garden . . . I wanted to sit down quietly for a few minutes by her moonflower and process the myriad of thoughts that were spinning through my head . . .I slowly walked to the end of the garden.  I leaned over a plant and whispered, ‘You are amazing.’  For a brief moment I thought I heard a voice whisper, ‘As are you,’ but no one was there.”  So starts Chris’ Conversations with a Moonflower.


Now it’s your turn to slow down one day with Conversations with a Moonflower. It will lift your spirit and calm your heart and maybe, just maybe, Chris' moonflower will talk to you, too.

But don't keep it just for yourself - SHARE IT! – I bet you know lots of people who could use the wisdom of the Moonflower.

Conversations with a Moonflower is a great book for Book Clubs and it would be a perfect gift for Mother's Day, Graduation, Young Women, Visiting Teaching, or for anyone, young or old, that's need a lift in their day.

Other reviews:

Deseret News: 'Moonflower' is a lesson in nurturing by Carma Wadley

"The gift of the moonflower is the byproduct.  What follows is a conversation Chris has within herself as she takes the time to be still.  Alone with the moonflower, her mind wanders and finally settles on certain problem spots in her life. As she sits and patiently waits for the bloom, answers reveal themselves. The truths she discovers are not earth shattering but, like Chris, they resonate like a remembering. They are basic principles that I needed reminding. In near parable form, the truths revealed with the moonflower will be different for everybody. For me, Chris and the moonflower reminded me to:

·      Be Still - that's how He teaches us.

·      Be Prayerful - Ask for what we need.

·      Be Patient - Allow the answers to come without forcing them. They will come.

·      Listen - Resonating with Be Still and Be patient.

·      Be True - If I am a moonflower, I will never be a daisy. Accept what I am and find my own purpose.

For me, Chris brought the balm for my wounds and touched me deeply." -– N. Taylor
 

"I loved this book! Christine's story is so touching and inspiring. Through the story, the moonflower becomes a symbol of peace and love. It all started when Christine takes her family to the country to clean out an old family house. The Amish neighbors to her ancestors show her a moonflower plant blooming at dusk. They then give her a moonflower plant of her own that ultimately changed her life. As the conversations she has with her moonflower proceed, Chris learns valuable lessons about life and how to prioritize her days. She learns things about herself that she otherwise would not have.

This touching memoir is well-written and very easy to read. It's the perfect little gift book that will brighten the life of anyone searching for a small measure of happiness.

Reading the book really made me want to grow my own moonflowers. I'm planning to get some seeds to get them started!"   -- M. Overlock

"I received this book as a gift, and quite frankly, thought of "re-gifting" it for Mother's Day. After reading it, I will most definitely give multiple copies away, but not my copy. I read, but mostly for business, not pleasure. The many subtle, yet profound messages in this wonderfully written book struck such a chord with me. A quick, yet stirring read. This will be a book that I read and share over and over." – MAC

Blog Review – Squeaky Clean Reads