emilyrbedwell 's review for:

Love Lives Here: Finding What You Need in a World Telling You What You Want by Maria Goff

4.0

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Initial thoughts:

First of all, I kind of just want to spend a weekend with Maria & Bob Goff. Maria is me - quiet and hopeful in a crazy world. From the forward, you know Love Lives Here is going to be something special.

In the introduction Maria says, "There’s another version of ourselves that lies somewhere under the surface. It’s the one shaped and scarred by tremendous joy and painful loss. It is equally us, it’s just a different version. This version of ourselves is not one we’re accustomed to letting people see, because it resides in the recesses of our lives. It takes time and energy and moments of deep reflection for us to see this version of ourselves. It’s not the depth that blocks our view; it’s the clutter on the surface that does. It’s our instinct to flee, to escape pain rather than confront it. But it’s in the engagement that we continue to grow."

Here's to finding the hidden versions of ourselves and reminding ourselves that we are loved deeply and beyond measure.