One Beautiful Dream
The Rollicking Tale of Family Chaos, Personal Passions, and Saying Yes to Them Both
- Christian Living
- Publisher: Zondervan
- Published: 2019
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Publisher's Description
Is it possible to pursue your passions, love your family, and not feel guilty about wanting to do both? One Beautiful Dream is your invitation to the unexpected joy of saying yes to the life you long to live. Work and family, individuality and motherhood, the creative life and family life—women are told constantly that they can’t have it all. One Beautiful Dream is the deeply personal, often humorous tale of what happened when one woman dared to believe that you can have it all — if you’re willing to reimagine what having it all looks like. Jennifer Fulwiler is the last person you might expect to be the mother of six young children. First of all, she’s an introvert only child, self-described workaholic, and former atheist who never intended to have a family. Oh, and Jennifer has a blood-clotting disorder exacerbated by pregnancy that has threatened her life on more than one occasion. One Beautiful Dream is the story of what happens when one woman embarks on the wild experiment of chasing her dreams with multiple kids in diapers. It’s the tale of learning that opening your life to others means that everything will get noisy and chaotic, but that it is in this mess that you’ll find real joy. Jennifer’s quest takes her in search of wisdom from a cast of colorful characters, including her Ivy-League-educated husband, her Texan mother-in-law who crushes wasps with her fist while arguing with wrong number calls about politics, and a best friend who’s never afraid to tell it like it is. Through it all, Jennifer moves toward the realization that the life you need is not the life you would have originally chosen for yourself. And maybe, just maybe, it’s better that way. Hilarious, highly relatable, and brutally honest, Jennifer’s story will spark clarity and comfort to your own tug-of-war between all that is good and beautiful about family life and the incredible sacrifice it entails. Parenthood, personal ambitions, family planning, and faith—it’s complicated. Let this book be your invitation to the unexpected, yet beautiful dream of saying yes to them all, with God’s help.
Endorsements (7)
“Jennifer Fulwiler takes us on the wild ride of one woman’s struggle to balance work and family duties in a house full of babies. Readers will guffaw, cringe, and ultimately walk away inspired as they come to see their own dreams in One Beautiful Dream.”
“When I finished reading the very last line of One Beautiful Dream, I applauded. What a treat this book is! And if you’ve ever struggled with wanting to give family life everything you have but wondering how your God-given passions fit in with that, you’re going to be so encouraged by Jen’s story. There is so much grace in these pages, so many accounts of how creatively the Lord cares and provides for us as we work out our callings with our families. One Beautiful Dream is hilarious, life-giving, and tender—an all-the-way-real reminder that sometimes, when life looks nothing like we expected, it’s so much better than we could have ever imagined.”
“I believe the family is the center of everything, but for those of us fighting the battle to hold ours together, the first casualty is often ourselves. One Beautiful Dream is a must-read for everyone who is pouring their whole heart and love into nurturing their children while struggling to maintain their own creativity and identity. You really can “have it all,” but it just may not be the way you expect. Jennifer Fulwiler’s funny, poignant, and oh-so-personal writing style makes reading this book like a fantastic conversation with a dear friend. You will find yourself crying and laughing along with this epic journey of personal discovery.”
“All we need to do is be who God made us to be. That’s an arduous joy, and Jennifer Fulwiler is honest and heartfelt and funny about it. The universal call to holiness looks different for each one of us—and is often something of a mess by worldly standards. Fulwiler is a tremendous friend to have on the journey. Jennifer Fulwiler—and this book—will help you and those you love. One Beautiful Dream will help you love with greater freedom, which, as Pope Francis has emphasized, is God’s dream for us. Reading this book is an encounter with God’s dream for you. You’ll also laugh and cry with her and come to quickly love her and her family!”
“many hollowed parents who feel stuck between their families and side passions. Most of us wonder: How can we do both? How can we be devoted family people and live out our personal dreams? This refreshing memoir shows the way. It’s not a fluffy self-help guide. The book is deliciously witty, insightful, absorbing, and offers one motivational epiphany after another, each punching a hole in the Resistance blocking us from our dreams. If every parent read this, families would become dream incubators, not where passions go dormant.”
“It would be enough to read One Beautiful Dream for its hilarity. Enough to read it for its brilliant insights and powerful writing. Enough to read it for the rollicking story of how Jen Fulwiler found her best self while losing herself under laundry for eight and diapers and the weight of an audacious dream. But when you combine it all, you’ll find a breathtaking look at a modern family life built on ancient truths. Grab this book and devour it for the soul-satisfying nourishment it delivers.”
“a cutting sense of humor and you’ve got an immensely readable story. Oh, and it will change the way you think about family life forever. Other than that, this isn’t much of a book.”
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