Ten Minutes' Peace: An Oasis for Moms

Moms, does your experience of 'time alone' involve sitting locked in your bathroom while your little ones bang on the door every 10 seconds?

Is the highlight of your day the few minutes of time you get while your kids are enthralled with the approaching garbage truck?

Perhaps you are thoroughly embarrassed on a regular basis as your toddler decides to throw an all-out fit in the store or church.

If you fit the profile above, than you are sure to enjoy 'Ten Minutes' Peace: An Oasis for Moms' by Central Illinois-based author Susan McGrath. Mrs. McGrath, married mother of two young boys, takes us on a humorous journey through her all-too-familiar life as a harried, yet grateful, woman. She artfully ties in Christian values and Biblical Scriptures in every witty essay.

At 108 pages, the book can either be an easy good day's read; or a daily inspirational for a season (the most likely scenario if you are a mother!). As you read each short entry, you can be taken from chuckling over her experiences with her children to deep in thought about life's unforeseen circumstances. In every case you are reminded of the greatness of God.

Mrs. McGrath reminds us that every mom is a 'working mom'. She expresses her sorrow over other people's losses of loved ones and the resulting thankfulness we should all feel for our own families. She jokes about the eccentric names parents give their children nowadays, and the sting of being told (by those who are just as guilty) that your children act like brats.

The reader feels a kinship as she is told of children who have suddenly become "mountain goats" and "escape artists"; and what mother hasn't had a good (secret) laugh as her child prances around the house with a bucket (or some equally absurd object) on his or her head? You would be hard-pressed to find a mother at some point in her life who hasn't said (at least to herself), "I can't believe those parents are doing that/letting their kids do that/doing that to their kids!" Whether they like to admit it or not, every mother has walked in on a disaster (or at least a disaster-in-the-making); such as a teetering pile of glass jars or peanut butter smeared from one wall to the other. These are just a few of the parodies of motherhood that the author discusses.

While on the journey through this book, the reader is reminded of the humor, joy, 'coincidences', and bitter-sweetness of life. We are reminded of the pleasures of satisfying smells, sights, tastes, and sounds-as a mother and a person. I highly recommend this book for all Christian moms out there (or those who want to know what it's like to be a mom) in need of a good break and an uplifting read. I guarantee you will be amused and moved through every chapter!

'Ten Minutes' Peace: An Oasis for Moms' (ISBN: 1-4241-2045-4) by Susan McGrath was released in 2006 as a paperback. List price is $16.95. The book is available to order through most bookstores and online sites (such as Amazon.com).