book review: little glimpses of good

Two days ago I found myself in Hallmark, browsing the aisles for cards.  Almost accidentally, I came across a little book, Little Glimpses of Good. With it's beautifully decorated cover and it's enticing font, it called to me from the little shelf it was sitting on. I picked it up, read the subtitle. Finding hope in every today, I read to myself. Hope is definitely something I'm interested in, so I gently opened the cover and looked inside. The pages were filled with beautiful pictures and even more beautiful words. They jumped off the page at me, sticking to me. Now, I'm not one for purchasing books anywhere but on-line, but I just had to get this one. There was something about it that was so beautiful, that made me so happy. As I paid for the book, I felt almost guilty. $13? For this little book that would take me less than 10 minutes to read? I thought to myself as I handed the Hallmark lady my American Express. Then I reminded myself, You would easily spend this much on a new article of clothing or a meal out with a friend. Why shouldn't you buy this little thing, this book that already, before you've even read it, makes you so happy? With that, I pushed the nagging thoughts out of my mind and slipped the book into my overused bag.

While I don't want to spoil it for you by putting the whole book in this post (though I am tempted since it's not very long and it's so beautiful...but on the inside cover it reads "No portion of this book may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system or dank, dark, squalid holding cell, or transmitted in any form or by any means--except for brief quotations in reviews--without prior permission from the publisher. So be good; don't be bad. And stealing is bad. That's all we're staying."...and I'm not messin' with Hallmark), I can't help but share a few great quotes with you:

 

then, sure enough, it rains
(into every life, etc.)
but sometimes you look up at those clouds
and see the shimmer and the gleam
it's rainshine and you just know
it came straight from the silver lining

---

remember letting go of the handlebars?
some days are that kind of ride
so always let your sense
of whether you're about to fall off
or crash into something
be your guide

---

give up despair, abandon bitterness
give cynicism and self-doubt their marching orders
and show them the door
give up everything
you don't need anymore

---

some people say the world is getting worse
but if you look in the right places
it's like finding another world
even a walk around the block might surprise you
can you even believe there's such a thing
as a firefly? or snow under a streetlight?

---

a little aloneness at the end of the day
can be a nice breather
inhale. exhale.
hail to thee, o moment of doing nothing
but simply being 
a very good moment for self-seeing

 

Aren't those beautiful? And, really, they pale in comparison to how they look with the illustrations. I just tried looking for the book on Hallmark's and Amazon's websites, but had no luck. If you enjoyed these quotes, I would strongly recommend taking a little trip to your local Hallmark and picking up a copy (hey, it's Saturday -- what else do you have to do?). I give a lot of credit to the author,Jim Howard, and the illustrator, Daniel Miyares. They (and probably the editors at Hallmark too) did a brilliant job of putting together this little book. It really made my day and reading it really reminded me of why I am choosing to spend time focusing on the positive aspects of my life.

I feel like the world is filled with little negativity traps. Things and people and situations that lure me toward negative thinking. I do my best to avoid these traps, but sometimes they pop up out of nowhere and I have to work hard to avoid them, swerving wildly or stopping dead in my tracks and turning around. Sometimes I can get tangled in them and my own negative thoughts. But at those times I will reach to my bookshelf and pull off Little Glimpses of Good. Peering inside, I know I will find just what they've placed there for me: hope.

Comments

[kirwin]

It sounds delicious. Is it too big to carry around in your purse every day? Wouldn't it be nice to have this little reminder with you at all times?

psst...I added you to my blogroll!

[positively present]

Kirwin - Unfortunately it's a little too big to carry around every day, but that's a good idea. I bet I could write my favorite bits (and other quotes I love) in a small little journal and carry that around with me. Thanks for giving me the idea. And THANK YOU for adding me to your blogroll. As soon as I create one, I will return the favor. :)

[Nathalie Lussier]

Aww I loved the part about letting go of the handlebars. I guess we always see the parts that relate to what we're currently feeling or focused on. :) Isn't that neat?

I really enjoyed reading the excerpt. It sounds completely lovely!

[Jewel/Pink Ink]

I love the idea behind your blog! Thanks for visiting mine.

Yes, some things simply make us happy, and it's cool that you went ahead and got you the book that can lift you up :-)

Keep smiling :-)

[positively present]

Nathalie - It's a great book. You should definitely check it out if you're ever in Hallmark. I also love the idea of letting go of the handlebars. It's a fun, freeing idea, but it can also be a little scary (just like a lot of things in life are!)

Jewel - I love your blog too. Just the name makes me smile! :) Sometimes it's hard to admit that buying something will make us happy (I like to believe that things don't make us happy, we make ourselves happy), but I really did get a lot of joy not only from purchasing that little book but from sharing it with others. Sometimes, I guess, you can buy happiness.

[Giovanna Garcia]

Great post.
The world can't have too much goodness ;-) Keep them coming.
Thanks for sharing.
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Action

[positively present]

Giovanna - You're right. There can't be too much goodness in the world, but, to be honest, I think a lot of people forget that there's any goodness at all. That's why this little book is so great. It's such a nice reminder of the good!

[M]

"some people say the world is getting worse
but if you look in the right places
it's like finding another world"
Love this so much. Greet each day with wonder, it's a great way to live. Thank you for sharing this. :)

[positively present]

M - Thanks for stopping by! I love that line too. And I find it to be so true. If you just look around, there are all of these little worlds, new things to see, and it's really quite amazing. I love the idea "greet each day with wonder" -- it makes me think about how little kids see the world. Everything is so new and exciting for them. Why do we lose that as adults? The world is, and always will be, a place filled with wonderous things. We just have to open our eyes and really take it all it.

[Chania Girl]

My favorite here is the "letting go" of the handlebars. Everything is in the image that creates for me: freedom, joy, and PLAY. Sometimes we take ourselves far too seriously ...

Thank you for another wonderful post.

[positively present]

Chania Girl - I agree. We definitely need to let go every once and awhile and embrace freedom and joy!

[Connie B]

I can't add much to what you said ;-). Love the book. I found it at...believe it or not, KOHLS!...while I was looking at toys and books for my 2-yr-old son. Like you, I could not let go of it, so had to buy it :-).

[positively present]

Connie - AHHH! I'm so happy you found the book! Isn't it just wonderful? I love the words and the images. Normally I wouldn't buy something like that for myself, but I just had to get it because it was so inspiring to me. It makes me so happy to know that someone else enjoys it as much as I do. :)

[Kat]

Oh my gosh, thats what happened to me! I was waiting in CVS to get a flu shot, browsing the isles and I came across that little book! It was amazing and I wanted to buy it right away! But then I saw the price and realized it was too expensive. I'll put some money away for it though, it is worth the price.

[positively present]

Kat - That's so funny! I just saw it in CVS too and it made me smile. I love it! I would definitely recommend buying it. It's worth it! :)

[Gee-Yeong Lee]

When I just tried looking for the book on Hallmark's and Amazon's websites, I found this your post:) and I agree with this post! Actually after I read this book, I had many good thinks and was happy ;)So I wanna gift to my friends * This book is really good, isn't it? thank you for your post !

[positively present]

Gee-Yeong - That's awesome! How exciting that you found my post when you were searching for the book. I agree that giving this book as a gift to friends is a GREAT idea! Thanks for your comment!

[Thong Tran]

Can you tell me where I can find this book and order it online ? I used to see this book , but I present it for my friend to give to his girlfriend, so I can't buy this last book in the hallmark store near my house. I search everywhere but no hope.
Appreciate

[positively present]

Thong Tran - I found the book at a Hallmark store and another person found it at CVS. In terms of ordering it online, you could try to look on Hallmark's website or search for the book in the Shopping section of Google. Good luck!

[Jim Howard]

It's a thrill to find this post and all these comments. I'm the writer of the book. The illustrator, Daniel Miyares, sent me the link to this blog. You people made our day.

I wish I could help you in finding the book, but (alas), it didn't sell as well as we might have hoped. After one reprinting, Hallmark Books couldn't justify printing it again.

BUT! Because we got such amazing letters from people who loved the book, there is now a redacted version with a new cover and a lot of the original writing and illustrations. It's called "On the Bright Side." Honestly, I'm too fond of the original to let this one win my heart completely, but the new edition is a little simpler and might be good for kids who need this kind of encouragement. Check the books display at your local Hallmark Gold Crown (or in other big Hallmark accounts, such as Walgreens and CVS).

If I could, I'd send you all free copies of "Little Glimpses of Good." I love the enthusiasm and lack of cynicism here, and find your support of each other heartening, to say the least. Wishing all of you the very best...

[positively present]

Jim - How wonderful that you came across the post I wrote about your book. I absolutely LOVED it and still look at it all the time. So many people have asked me about it and I hope they were all able to find a copy somehow. It really is a great book and the words and illustrations are absolutely beautiful. Thank you so much for writing it and I hope to see more of your work in my nearby Hallmark in the future. Wishing you lots and lots of good in your life!