Forty Days

After labor, it’s time for rest: A gentle guide to zuo yuezi, the ancient Chinese practice of postpartum self-care, including sixty simple recipes. The first forty days after the birth of a child offer an essential and fleeting period of rest and recovery for the new mother. Based on Heng Ou’s own postpartum experience with zuo yuezi, a set period of “confinement” in which a woman remains at home focusing on healing and bonding with her baby, The First Forty Days revives the lost art of caring for the mother after birth. As modern mothers are pushed to prematurely “bounce back” after delivering their babies, and are often left alone to face the physical and emotional challenges of this new stage of their lives, the first forty days provide a lifeline—a source of connection, nourishment, and guidance. This book includes sixty simple recipes for healing soups, replenishing meals and snacks, and calming and lactation-boosting teas, all formulated to support the unique needs of the new mother. In addition to recipes, this warm and encouraging guide offers advice on arranging a system of help during the postpartum period, navigating relationship challenges, and honoring the significance of pregnancy and birth. Fully illustrated, it is a practical guide and inspirational read for all new mothers and mothers-to-be—the perfect ally during the first weeks with a new baby. “Bringing our attention back to the importance of the postpartum period for new mothers helps to create space for this essential period of integration and recovery . . . an invaluable companion during the first 40 days and beyond.” —Ricki Lake & Abby Epstein, filmmakers, The Business of Being Born

CBS News correspondent Bob Simon recounts his captivity in Iraq during the Persian Gulf War in 1991.

We've all had situations in our lives that seem beyond our control or that have no clear remedy. In this concise, inspirational guide, bestselling self-help guru Melody Beattie shows us that we have the ability to make a miracle for almost any circumstance we're facing. She offers a distillation of what she knows about gratitude, surrender, and connecting with our essential power. She challenges us to be more present each day and details a six-week action plan, the Miracle Exercise, to jump-start transformation in our lives.--From publisher description.

"How are you feeling?" Christine Yi Suh says that this has always been a hard question. She writes: "The more accurate question for a Four may be, 'What aren't you feeling?' I can grab my prevailing emotion and tell you how I'm doing from that emotion's point of view (joy, elation, sadness, grief, confusion—you name it!). I live and breathe a kaleidoscope of living, feeling, conflicting emotions." Many times Fours are labeled "emotionally intense" or "too much," but for a Four this is just how life is. This is why Fours are ideal companions in the midst difficult times: the death of a loved one, the birth of a baby, transitional seasons in career, relational conflict, and so on. The Enneagram is a profound tool for empathy, so whether or not you are a Four, you will grow from your reading about Four and enhance your relationships across the Enneagram spectrum. Each reading concludes with an opportunity for further engagement such as a journaling prompt, reflection questions, a written prayer, or a spiritual practice.

On the outside, my life appeared smooth and successful. I had been blessed with a loving family, a great education, And The title of Miss America at an early age. But my road held big bumps—professionally and personally. I seemed stuck on a roller coaster of highs and lows with an inner life that was just as unpredictable. When I made the decision to have a disciplined pattern of time with God, my faith experience grew wide and deep. May this book of devotionals bless all of us in our spiritual journey. Some stories are mine; others are from friends: Lolly Anderson, Lisa Boone, Reverend Linda Brinkworth, Linda Cavanaugh, Betty Catching, Dr. Susan Chambers, Coach Sherri Coale, Kay Dudley, Nancy Ellis, Marcy Gardenhire, Prudy Gorrell, Barbara Green, Dr. Lori Hansen, Deliliah Bernard Hayes, Justice Yvonne Kauger, First Lady Cathy Keating, Charlotte Lankard, Donna Lawrence, Judy Love, Robin Marsh, Brenda McDaniel, LaDonna Meinders, Dr. Debra Mitchell, Kay Murcer, First Lady Donna Nigh, Bobbie Roe, Jane Thompson, Karen Waddell.

What is it like to be an Enneagram Two? Pastor, lawyer, and Enneagram speaker Hunter Mobley reflects on this question with a mix of self-compassion and hunger for personal growth. Using the metaphor of a welcoming Southern porch, he describes Twos this way: "We have well-curated our reputations as people who can be counted on. We're the people of 'yes!' But beyond our front porches and living rooms is a diversity of unexpressed and unmet feelings and needs. Tiredness, loneliness, grief, disappointment, and longing live beside joy, gratitude, and hope in the kitchens, dens, and bedrooms of our houses." These forty daily readings are an opportunity to explore both the shadow and the light that radiates from the front porches of our personality and deeper into the soul that lays within. Each reading concludes with an opportunity for further engagement such as a journaling prompt, reflection questions, a written prayer, or a spiritual practice. Any of us can find aspects of ourselves in any of the numbers. The Enneagram is a profound tool for empathy, so whether or not you are a two, you will grow from your reading about twos and enhance your relationships across the Enneagram spectrum.